


That Fateful Night

by juliaoryszak



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Cole and diana are the captains of this ship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, More shirbert, Multi, Or is it returned, Shirbert, So many tags, Unrequited Love, or are they?, you may never know, you may never know that either
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-06-23 14:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 67,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15608175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juliaoryszak/pseuds/juliaoryszak
Summary: On that fateful night Anne lays awake in her lavish room at Aunt Josephine's, the words spoken to Gilbert Blythe echoing inside her brain. It was supposed to be a fun night, but now all she felt was turmoil and a deep sense of regret.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I suck at writing, this is the first chapter. Hoping for updates a few times a week, but school has me constantly on my toes so we will see. I know this chapter is long, but that's what I love most about books so I hope you guys enjoy them too. If you're reading this I hope that this author's note will make you smile, as you are making me smile by hitting the tab in the corner of the list of works and have chosen to read mine. I'll shut up now and actually let you read.

Anne's POV

The wind whipped through Anne's hair as she trudged towards her secret-- or not so secret-- hideout, holding her paper and pens in her coat pocket. The woods held so much scope for the imagination, all the birds chirping high up in the trees. Oh how she loved their sweet symphonies! The autumn leaves crunched under her feet, every step known to the animals, none of them coming to greet her. Anne sighs, imagining herself as beautiful Princess Cordelia, with whom the animals adore and follow her wherever she goes, calling to the other little forest creatures to join them in their wonderful escapade. Anne laughs, the sweet sound echoing over the beautiful chirps of her feathered friends, filling the woods with more delight as she twirls through the thicket, not minding the sharpness of certain plants with thorns... nothing could ruin her beautiful mood. 

She continues to twirl, winding her way around an uprooted tree that had fallen in last nights storm, the soil damp with the fallen rain. The mud clung to her boots, causing some of the beautiful red leaves to as well, softening her step even more. Looking up to the sky Anne giggles again. She imagines her fellow subjects surrounding her, praising her. 

"Oh Princess Cordelia, blessed is this day that the sun shineth down o'er the dismal land of Enchantia. You, our dear princess, have brought us out of our miserable turmoil and set us free into our land, never to be enslaved again." Their shouts of joy filled her mind as she continued down the path toward her not-so-secret hideout. She closes her eyes as the sunbeams continue to hit her pale freckled face, her feet knowing the path to her hideout very well.

"My dear subjects, I promise to rule you true and fair, as a good princess should. Never again shall Queen Pye cause a speck of worry in your beautiful minds. As I, crowned Princess Cordelia, aspire to make your hearts full of joy and the pureness of true love. From this day on we will not live in fear, but in contentment. May imagination rise far, but true love fall from the heavens!" With that decree the applause came again. All these people, her loyal subjects applauding her, Princess Cordelia, with the gorgeous dark auburn hair and mystical blue eyes, her rosy complexion bright... bright enough to illuminate the darkest days.

Anne relished in this imaginative world. One where there wasn't a freckle adorning her plain, ugly face. One where her hair wasn't red enough to put a fire to shame. A world where her skin wasn't pale enough to challenge the pages in the books she read, or the plain tea cups Marilla had in the cupboard. No, she was Princess Cordelia. Ruler of Enchantia, loyal to her subjects and beloved to all those who met her. Deep down, Anne knew, she was truly Cordelia. 

The applause in Anne's brain faded fast, and so did her wistful smile as she tripped over something, landing on the ground with a loud thump and the crack of many autumn leaves. Mud squished under her as she laid back against the thick log, her shoulder-length red hair falling in her face once again. 'Maybe it wasn't so bad when it was short' she thought, but immediately dismissed it when she remembered Mr. Philips' remark about her being a boy. 

She stared up at the sun, slowly falling towards the horizon. Painting the sky so many beautiful colors, spilling over the sky like paint on a canvas-- paint. Canvas. Paintings. Cole.

Anne's heart sunk at the thought of Cole. Hot tears spilled over her cheeks as she laid her winter coat on the log. She grabbed a piece of the fine paper Marilla had bought for her for her 15th birthday, soon reaching back into her pocket for a pen as well, placing them atop the coat. Starting yet another letter to send to her distant friend. 

Oh Cole! 

Must we be so far away. I miss you ever so dearly, my heart aching for you every time I see a drawing, or look at your old broken sculptures laying outside our old hideout. I see your face in the shadows of my room, memories of your joyous laugh haunting the fields in which my imagination roams. Every time I pass through the schoolhouse I remember the dreaded game of 'Spin the Bottle' during which we kissed, and the day you did my hair. Oh! The elegant braids with ribbons were divine. I feel my heart leap with pride as I remember that you and I have already made plans of engagement, for I know that certainly there is no human on this beautiful green Earth that could make me happier and more accepted than you. 

Every time I write to you I feel like Princess Cordelia writing to her handsome prince in his faraway kingdom. The thought fills me with so much glee, for you, my handsome Prince Cole (yes, your name is perfect just the way it is, unlike my plain "Anne") live far away in Charlottetown, far away from my warm embrace as shadows of longing cloud my heart and mind when I think of the way your lip quirks into your smile, light from the heavens is pouring from your eyes, blinding me with love and devotion. Devotion that I can only give to you!

I look forward to your proposal in the distant future, as I imagine a beautiful spring wedding amidst a field filled with blooming flowers, my hair done the same way you put it up that day in class. All the memories we shared flowing around us as we become two kindred spirits bound as one. Oh how I relish the thought of us living side by side, united in a way that not many will understand. 

Yours truly, 

Anne Shirley- Cuthbert

She looked back up at the setting sun edging closer to the horizon, the darkness filling the woods with a kind of eeriness reserved for Anne's scary stories, of which she would have to tell Diana and Ruby tomorrow at school, as she spent too much time on her letter to Cole. 

She put her coat back on again, grabbing her pen and shoving it back into her deep blue pockets. She folded the crisp paper, careful not to make any more creases than needed before she put it in it's rightful envelope once she got back to Green Gables. Standing back up she felt the coolness of the mud hit her once again, as she no longer was sitting in it, and heard the leaves crunch under her feet as she carefully moved her heavy boots as to not fall back over the log. 

There was no need for dallying anymore, as the birds had stopped chirping. The only sounds in the dark woods being her ragged breaths as she ran along and the crunch of leaves under her feet. Not even the crickets were out on this cool autumn night. 

Anne tried not to imagine the White Ladies the folks all around Avonlea had been talking about. But as always, her beautiful mind worked extra hard to conjure up something so scrumptiously scary that it would take her breath away at every bend and twist of the well trodden path. All the shadows in the woods that night she would mistake for the haunting demons that roamed, searching for new souls to pluck out of the world, the howl of the biting wind being their evil laugh as they lay in wait for Anne to be made their new companion. Anne's imagination worked so hard that she almost thought to stop and pull out a new piece of paper, to write another story in the dying light. A story about a girl just like her roaming the woods at night, coming into contact with the undead and she too, becoming one of their pitiful souls. Lost forever in the howls of the wind, cursed to haunt the forest she once passed through. 

Anne shuddered at the thought, determined to keep going, for once resisting the urge to write the story she so wanted to. Soon Green Gables came into view, the old gate groaning against the harsh wind. The lanterns swinging against it, making a loud clanking sound against the paint-chipped wood. She could hear the cattle lowing in the barn, and the horses neighing in the stables. She knew it was late so Jerry would already be gone, and dear Matthew was probably inside worried sick with Marilla because Anne had not yet returned from her journey into the woods. 

Finally she caught sight of the candles in the windows of Green Gables, incandescent against the dark night. She loved how the flames were always dancing, moving in the air like the free spirit she wished to be. Anne approaches the porch slowly as she sees shadows coming from inside the living room. Through the window she sees four figures? 

'No, that can't possibly be right!' Thought Anne as she pauses on the last step to stare even closer. But sure enough, her eyes weren't deceiving her. There are in fact four figures sitting in the room. Including the one boy she both dreaded and longed to see. 

\----------------

Gilbert's POV

Gilbert Blythe sat underneath of a tree in his vast orchard, staring off into space with a wistful look on his face. He wasn't one for imagining, but sometimes even he got caught up in the works of his mind. Every thought was overcome with a sense of longing for the familiar red-head he had come to know and love. 

He imagined her sitting there next to him looking at the sky as she leaned her head on his shoulder, whispering about how the clouds looked like something she might see in her dreams. He imagined her cuddling into him as he told her how much he loved her. How he would always see her as the prettiest star in the sky, because instead of glowing white like all the others she would be a fierce red, as if someone had left a gleaming candle up in space for the whole world to look upon. 

He wanted that more than words could describe.

He wanted Anne -HIS Anne- to be looked upon by everyone. He wanted everyone to see that HIS Anne was the most special person to walk the Earth. The most beautiful. The most intelligent. The girl with more strength in one strand of her fiery hair than anyone in the world had in their mind, body, and soul combined. There was only one problem...

She wasn't his Anne. 

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her to notice him for more than a few measly seconds when she acknowledged his stares with a weird look, or said hello to him when she passed (but he knew that was only to be polite). He knew they were friends now-- at least that's what he got out of their truce from before he left for the docks. He reminisced on the thought of touching her hand as he "spelled out a word for old times sake". 

He blinked a few times, laughing. Jerked back to reality by the loudness of his voice compared to the quiet chirp of birds and the rustle of squirrels in the trees. 

"Hey Blythe! You jerked out of your dream world just in time to help me tend to dinner!" Bash yelled from the front porch, shaking his head and smiling at the clearly love struck boy.

"I was not in any dream world, Bash! Just lost in thought is all." Gilbert called back as he stands up and brushes himself off. The dirt and grass falling off his trousers and carrying in the wind. He looks up once again at the sky and notices the sun letting off a blinding light, but he knew no matter how hard the sun tried it could never be brighter than Anne's smile. For every time she was genuinely smiling it seemed to radiate off a heavenly glow--

"Blythe! Come on you moke. I'm trying to help my wife here, and you need a good cooking lesson before you can even try to woo a girl." Bash called again, this time from the living room window. "You can daydream about Shirley after dinner is ready." Bash lets out a hearty laugh, and Gilbert could hear Mary giggling incessantly from somewhere in the kitchen. 

Gilbert starts to protest only to hear more laughing coming from inside, so he decides it best to shut up and just go inside. Biting his cheek he strolls towards the porch brushing every branch he walks past, the apple's swaying at his caress. He only wished he could touch Anne like-

'No' he thought, 'I am not going to get caught up in this again'. So he continues his little path through the row of trees, the sweet smell of the last of the seasons apples filling the air. Nearing the house he can hear the faint sound of conversation drifting through the open windows. 

Gilbert opens the front door softly, trying to slip into the house unnoticed to hear Bash and Mary's conversation better. Gilbert slyly padding to the kitchen, where Bash is telling Mary how much he loves her over and over. Mary's laughs fill the room.

"You are just as love struck as poor Gilbert." Now it was Bash's turn to laugh.

"Of course I'm love struck with you, dear flower. My heart is devoted solely to you, and our expected child of course!" Mary smiles slyly, giving Bash a swift peck on the lips, leaning in more than necessary, in which Bash responded with a hand around her waist. She pulls away with the same sly smile, breaking contact completely and swinging her hips as she walked back over to her vegetables leaving a very shocked and frustrated Bash in her wake. 

Gilbert didn't know which topic to comment on first.

He is absolutely NOT love struck with Anne. He's simply in love with her. They are two totally different things.

But also...

MARY'S PREGNANT?!

He's standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a look of shock on his face for a good minute before either of them notice his presence. 

"Hello Gilbert, how nice it is for you to break your 'Anne-Shirley daydreaming session' to join us in the making of a wonderful family dinner!" Mary says with a smirk on her face, almost daring Gilbert to contradict her use of 'Anne-Shirley daydreaming session'. Deep down, even Gilbert could sense that it was a common occurrence, even though he hardly paid attention to where his mind wandered. 

"Yeah, I uh- I was just um- yeah-- daydreaming" Gilbert manages to stutter out. Neither confirming nor denying that he was, in fact, daydreaming about Anne. Again.

"Look at the boy, he can't even function anymore. The poor girls gotten into his head, we better knock-" 

"Bash, I didn't come into this kitchen to be talked to about my "problem", (he drawled out the word problem as if his predicament was not a problem at all) and besides, you told me that I have to get a good cooking lesson before I can even try to woo any girl, so if we could please get on with this I would be much obliged." Bash laughs and ushers him over to where he was standing in front of the old stove. With the flick of his wrist he lights a match and throws it in with the wood. The flames catching almost instantly, burning with the same light that radiated off a certain Anne Shirley-Cuthbert that Gilbert was smitten with. 

"Okay lover-boy," Bash comments after a small span of time,"the stove is hot enough now to add in the water. 2 cups of water and then add in the whole container of chicken broth Mary prepared earlier. No more, no less. Got it?" With that Bash walks away, not waiting for Gilbert's answer. 

Gilbert gets started on his small task right away, measuring out the exact amount of water to put into the old pot on the stove. As he stares down at the water he remembers when he used to have to prepare the meals for his sick father before Mrs. Kincannon came to help. He remembers how many ways he would prepare the same meal of somewhat burned toast with fresh butter and some salad. A year ago if anyone asked he would have told them he would give anything to have his family back, but now....

He has all the family he needs. He smiles as he looks up from the stove, he sees Bash and Mary laughing in the corner of the kitchen, dancing to a silent song. If he stares just long enough he can picture him and Anne dancing there, instead of Bash and Mary. The thought of Anne touching him with so much care and affection makes his heart swell. Oh how he wishes Anne could be his. 

He is snapped back to reality again, Bash and Mary laughing loudly. He'd been caught, and that had been the third time today. 

"Time to continue the meal, Blythe," Bash exclaims, removing his arm from around Mary's waist. "Mary finished cutting the vegetables so now we get to put them into the pot and let them cook for about half an hour." He grabs the many carrots and walks back across the kitchen, dropping them lightly into the pot of boiling water. He returns back to the counter of vegetables, grabbing more to drop into the pot. He looks up at Gilbert with confusion as to why he hadn't moved yet.

"Blythe! Pay attention, you'll never get your Anne-girl if you can't show her that you can do everything she can. She won't ever marry you if you can't be of help with the little things," He laughs as he says marry, because he knows that somewhere deep in the depths of Gilbert's heart that's what he truly strives for. "That's how I got my beautiful wife." 

Bash winks and looks over at Mary with so much love and affection, and she returns it right back. Smiling that wistful smile that he sees on Anne's face all the time. The only difference being that she doesn't look at Gilbert like that, but almost everything else. That's the look she has when Miss Stacey speaks so passionately about her lessons. It's the same smile she wears when she daydreams, staring out the window at the magnificent forest beyond the schoolhouse as if she was meant to be a nymph or tree or anything other than a human girl.

Gilbert walks over to grab the big pot, carrying it over to the counter, and moving all the vegetables into it with ease. Bash nods at him, surprised that Gilbert had used his brain to do a productive task for the first time that day.

"Done!" Gilbert exclaims with a bright smile, clearly proud that he is making a good meal with edible food. 

"Well now lover-"

"Very good, Gilbert! I'm proud of you!" Mary interrupts Bash, praising the poor boy before looking at her husband with disdain written all over her face. "Don't go making fun of Gilbert's Anne obsession. Need I remind you that YOU proposed to ME after knowing me for only a short while."

Bash stands there silently, unsure of how to respond to his wife's true comment. Mary laughs at her husbands face, as he silently thinks about his options.

"But, Dear I-"

"I won't have another word about it." With that Mary walks out of the kitchen, leaving the cooking vegetables on the stove with the two silent boys. Gilbert laughs as Bash becomes a flustered mess, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. His wife had just called him out -again- and he still had no clue how to take it. 

"Alright Blythe, enough messing around and get back to work." Bash says as he smiles, reverting back to his humorous manner within seconds.

"What's next?" Gilbert asks, wondering how he was going to finish cooking the stew without Mary.

"Add in the spices. Some nice curry will do."

And with that he walks to the far cupboard and opens it up to reveal the variety of spices that they had gotten shipped from Bash's home country of Trinidad. The curry sits on the top shelf in the very corner. Bash stands up tall and grabs it, the small container dwarfed in his large hand. 

He walks over to the stove and takes the top off, pouring in a generous amount. Gilbert stands attentively in the corner ,watching the orange spice blend fall into the pot. 

 

Soon dinner was finished and Gilbert, Bash, and Mary sat in the living room. Gilbert was eager to leave the house, trying to get away from the lovebirds cuddled up together on the brown couch, whispering into each other's ears. The thought made him long for Anne. 

After a few minutes Gilbert had had enough.

"I'm going to Green Gables to check on An- uh, the Cuthbert's. I must see how Matthew is faring, after his heart problems. I am, after all, a soon to be doctor." Gilbert says, in hopes they would buy into his terrible lie. 

Bash and Mary share a knowing look, they had seen right through him. After an uncomfortable silence (for Gilbert at least) Mary looks at him.

"You can do whatever you want, Gilbert." She replies with a small laugh.

"Give our kind regards to your Anne" Bash adds, drawling out the "your" as if trying to get a reaction out of Gilbert.

Gilbert chuckles softly, getting up from his old chair to make his way over to the front door. He pulls on his boots, and after quickly grabbing his old hat and coat he's out the door. A gust of wind blowing into the warm house as he closes the door behind him.

The cool autumn breeze hits him as he makes his way down the stairs. The red leaves crunch under his feet, some blowing in the wind. He looks up to the sky and sees the reds and oranges drifting through the stark white clouds, reminding him of Anne's hair and how it looks with her beautiful white ribbons braided through it. 

He had always admired sunsets, but he admires them even more so now because of the beautiful girl who's hair could have done nothing less than inspire God's angels to paint the sky just like that. Gilbert wonders for a moment if Anne is out too, admiring the gorgeous sunset filled sky. Though he knew that she would be admiring it for many different reasons than he was right now. 

As he makes his way out of his orchard finally, Gilbert realizes just how late it was. He begins to speed up his walk to a run, racing past the many trees and bushes that filled the woods outside his farm, dodging the sticks and logs on the ground that had fallen in last night's storm.

As soon as he had begun running he stops, for the beautiful residence of Anne has come into view. The candles lit in the windows, and the lanterns swinging on the gate in the evening wind. He pauses for a moment as he sees the silhouette of a young boy leaving. 

"Jerry, isn't it?" Gilbert calls out, hoping that the boy had heard him. He looks up, and Gilbert recognizes the boys easygoing smile.

"Oui, bonjour Gilbert." He says in passing, not bothering to look back.

Gilbert continues his slow walk through the gate and makes his way to the porch, where Matthew was sitting taking off his shoes. 

"Gilbert! What a pleasant surprise! Two guests in one day, I'm sure Marilla will be so overwhelmed." Matthew exclaims with a chuckle. Gilbert looks as though he might leave so Matthew quickly continues. "She's been wanting to visit, so I'm sure she will be happy to see you nonetheless." He sees Gilbert evidently relax as he ushers him inside. 

Gilbert hears Marilla's voice carry through the open door as he steps inside.

"Oh Cole, Anne will be so surprised when she hears of your arrival! She speaks of you every day, always something about your art, or she reminisces in all of the memories you both share. She misses you dearly, dare I say she cries herself to sleep some nights worried over how she will ever get through the rest of the year without you by her side at school." Marilla stops and winks at Cole. "But you didn't hear it from me." With that comment both Marilla and Cole fall into a fit of laughter, imagining how utterly embarrassed Anne would be if she found out the things Marilla was divulging to Cole.

Gilbert stops awkwardly. He knew Anne and Cole were close but he didn't think they were -that- close. He turns to leave, but the sudden movement caught Marilla's eye.

"Why hello, Gilbert! What a pleasant surprise," She says with a smile "Would you please come take a seat, Anne should be returning from her rendezvous in the woods shortly." Gilbert gives a shy nod and sits next to Cole on the couch.

"Cole." Gilbert says, with a curt nod.

"Gilbert." Cole replies, giving Gilbert a curt nod in return.

The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Marilla, quick to notice the boys behavior tries her best to start up a conversation, starting first with Cole as she hadn't seen him since Miss Barry's End of Summer Soiree in September. 

"How has Charlottetown been treating you, Cole?" Marilla asks, curious to hear the red haired boy's reply. 

"Very well Miss Cuthbert, very well indeed. Aunt Josephine has treated me ever so kindly, but alas I couldn't live without seeing my dear Anne for much longer."

Gilbert stiffens at his words. HIS dear Anne. Surely they couldn't be-

Gilbert's thoughts are interrupted by Anne coming through the door. She is a little dirty and her hair hangs limp down her shoulders but to Gilbert she is still the most beautiful girl he has ever laid eyes upon, and nothing could ever change his mind. He stands up quickly, hoping that Anne will run into his arms. He knows the possibilities of that are -none- but a boy can dream.

Unlucky for him Cole stands up quicker, his eyes shining like diamonds as they lay upon Anne. Anne stops and stares mouth agape at the two boys in her living room. She quickly tries to fix her hair and wipe some of the mud from her face and dress, but to no avail.

To her she will always be the ugly, plain, skinny, witch-like girl everyone at the orphanage told her she was. But the smile that lights up her face erases all the worries of her looks that pelt her soul. Cole is in her house for the first time in ages. 

Gilbert watches as she smiles, thinking for just a second that there is a slim possibility that the smile is solely for him.... until he remembers the ginger standing next to him. 

Anne walks slowly, taking small steps as she takes in the scene in front of her. Suddenly her smile gets a million times bigger, as if the scene has fully clicked in her brain. She runs straight past Gilbert... straight into the open arms of Cole, letting out an excited squeal of delight as his arms snake around her small waist, hugging her to his chest.

The jealousy twists in Gilbert's stomach as he tries not to watch in horror at the scene before him. 

'It's just like Christmas dinner,' he thinks solemnly 'she walks straight past me like I'm not even here. Like I don't matter.' Tears threaten to spill out of his sorrowful hazel eyes as he takes a deep breath, still standing there awkwardly, his hands having found their way into his coat pockets.

Marilla had left the room once Anne entered, leaving the three friends alone to chit-chat. 

Gilbert looks over at Anne and Cole, and if he didn't know any better he could have sworn that Anne's lips brushed Cole's cheek. The jealousy a fire burning in the pit of his stomach. 

"Gilbert!" Anne's voice saying his name came as a surprise, as she had seemingly not acknowledged his presence for the time she had been here. Anne walks over and tries to give him a handshake, holding out her small hand for him to take. He slowly takes his left hand out of his coat pocket and lightly takes her small hand in his large one, a small touch that sent a spark straight through him. He blushes, quickly shaking her hand, letting it go as quickly as he had taken it. Shoving his hand back in his pocket he takes his seat again next to Cole. 

Anne sits on Cole's side of the couch, right on top of the armrest, laying her feet across his lap as she starts conversation. 

"Cole I wrote a letter for you today just before you arrived. I was out in the woods and it was oh so romantical. But the sunset reminded me of you and made my heart ache so much that I just HAD to write to you. I guess now that you're here you don't really need it but-" Cole laughs.

"Of course I still want your letter, Anne!" Cole says beaming with happiness as he gently takes the piece of paper out of Anne's hands. Gilbert couldn't take this anymore, so he politely excuses himself to the kitchen for a glass of water. As he walks away solemnly he hears something he hadn't expected to hear.

"Marilla has said that I can stay with you for awhile, now that some stuff has been smoothed over I can possibly return to school." Anne squeals with delight.

"Oh Cole! This is so romantical don't you think?"

Gilbert almost turns around at the word 'romantical'. Instead of going to the kitchen he could just leave. The tears that are threatening to spill, and he wipes them away with his sleeves and continues the short way down the hallway to the kitchen. He tries his best to put a bright smile on his solemn face, just in case Marilla was still there. 

He walks through the doorway to find that she isn't, which makes Gilbert let out a quiet sigh of relief. He hears giggles from the other room as he pumps water into a small glass. Anne and Cole are still talking animatedly by the time he returned a few minutes later, not asking any questions as to why he was gone so long getting his cup of water. He fears overstaying his welcome, as he would be the only one of the three of them who would return home tonight. 

After standing in the doorway of the living room, debating whether to stay or leave Anne turns to him. "How are Bash and Mary, Gilbert?" Being included in this conversation seems to renew his good mood and restart his loving heart as he lets out a light chuckle.

"In love, as always. Oh, did you hear the news?! Mary's pregnant! She's expecting sometime in the spring."

Anne lets out another squeal of delight as Cole looks a bit confused, having never heard the names of Bash and Mary before. Anne, sensing Cole's confusion lets out a laugh.

"Bash, his real name is Sebastian, is one of Gilbert's friends. He met him on the steamship while he was away from Avonlea for the eight months after his father died." Anne's voice takes on a different tone as she remembers the whole eight months she and him were separated, but quickly brightens back up as she talks on about Mary. "Mary is Bash's wife! Oh she's everything I aspire to be when I marry someday." Anne stifles a laugh as Cole winks at her. 

Meanwhile Gilbert sits in confusion. Why did Cole wink at her? Had he missed something in the conversation? His puzzlement continues, but so does Anne's explanation.

"She's the prettiest woman I have ever met. She's smart too, and is always keeping Bash in line."

That comment makes Gilbert laugh, the truth in Anne's words is (as always) spot on. Mary definitely keeps Bash on a short leash.

He is about to say something when he hears Marilla's voice from upstairs.

"Anne it's past eight o'clock, you should start readying for bed, you have school tomorrow.

Gilbert hadn't realized just how much time had passed and he immediately stands up, knowing Bash and Mary will be expecting him home soon. 

"Goodbye Anne!" He says sweetly as he grabs his hat and shoes, putting them on beside the door.

"Cole." He nods curtly again, Anne taking notice of his stiff movements and sudden... anger? Disdain?

Anne's POV

What had Cole done to Gilbert to make him act so strange? She was going to ask but Gilbert was making his way out into the night, shutting the door with a soft click. She looks out the window at his silhouette walking in the distance. Her heart wishing for just one split second that she was returning home with him. 

Anne quickly dismisses the improper thought out of her head, scolding herself quietly for thinking such a wicked thing. She turns back to face a smiling Cole, his eyes transfixed on her hair. 

"May I do your hair for school tomorrow?" He asks in a joyful voice, hoping that she will say yes.

"Why of course my dear Cole!" Anne replies in a very fake ladylike manner. "You may also tend to my outfit and I feel as though my gorgeous nails need a nice trimming, don't you" she adds with a giggle. 

Soon they both break into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Anne makes her way back to the couch to lay on Cole, her head in his lap. She looks up at his face and sighs with contentment, for she was again reunited with a kindred spirit. 

Cole looks down at her with the same expression, lost in her ocean blue eyes. His hands unbraiding her hair, combing through it unconsciously. Marilla's sleepy voice floats once again down the stairs.

"Anne, honey, it's quarter-past- eight now, you should really come upstairs. Tell Gilbert goodbye and that you'll see him tomorrow at sch-"

"Gilbert already left, dear Marilla." Anne interrupts her. "Cole and I are coming upstairs right now!"

With that Anne and Cole get up from their comfortable position and make their way up the stairs. Since there wasn't really any reason not to, Marilla allows Cole to sleep in Anne's room (knowing very well how he and Anne were kindred spirits and nothing more). 

Anne had soon changed into her white nightgown and underclothes, and Cole into his soft cotton pajamas. Marilla had laid a thin mattress on the floor for Cole, but told him he was more than welcome to sleep in the bed with Anne if he pleased. Anne is absolutely thrilled when he crawls into bed next to her, shadows moving over his face in the flickering candlelight. Anne rolls over to face him, and he presses a soft kiss to her temple.

"Goodnight my lovely Anne"

"Goodnight dearest Cole"

And with that they close their eyes, their warm breath tickling each others faces as they fall into dream filled sleep.

\--

Gilbert's POV

Gilbert however, cannot sleep. He keeps replaying the nights events in his head. 

'Of course Cole had to swoop in and steal his Anne (who was never really his Anne in the first place, but now it was quite evident that she would never be his as long as Cole was still around). Of course she would choose him! They were kindred spirits after all'

His heart sinks as he remembers what he thought was her kissing him on the cheek. The thought of Anne with someone else makes his stomach spin like a merry-go-round, never to stop unless he turns it off. But that's the thing.... he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to give up on Anne. He will fight for her to be his until the day that he dies.

The suns rays seep through Gilbert's white curtains, the birdsong drifting in through the open window, the cool wind slowly jarring him awake.

'Great,' he thinks 'I'll look and feel like a mess today at school. Now Anne will surely never want to be mine.'

With a heavy heart he dresses himself quickly for school, trying his best to fix his unruly curls and hide the light purple smudges sitting under his eyes. He pads down the steps quietly, careful not to wake Bash and Mary who sleep in his fathers old room. He slips into the kitchen and grabs a piece of bread, smearing it with jam that was sitting on the counter. 

After finishing his breakfast he grabs his satchel and slate and shuts the door quietly starting his short walk to school. As he makes his way through the sunlit woods only one thought cycles through his brain...

'I hope Cole isn't at school today.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, many more to come so don't worry about me leaving y'all on a cliffhanger. Comments are appreciated and I would love feedback as well because this is my first work. This is also posted on Wattpad if you want to read it there instead (the updates will be the same don't worry:) )  
> Bookmark, comment, subscribe, give kudos, or just whatever your heart desires to do after reading the first chapter.  
> Much love,  
> Julia xoxoxo


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 2 for Cole's first day back to school.

Cole's POV

The sunlight streams in on Cole's face as his eyes flutter open. He feels someone stir next to him in the bed and looks over to see a sleeping Anne. With a smile he lightly caresses her cheek, tracing lines between every gorgeous freckle dotting her face. He imagines painting her face in the sky, the freckles made into constellations, stories formed from the pretty pictures they make up in space where everyone can see them. His hand moves over her forehead and down her nose, touching her lips lightly, only trying to follow the line of freckles around them. 

Anne mumbles something, the sound so soft that he could barely make it out. It's almost as if she whispered a name. Not just any name...

Gilbert Blythe's name.

He chuckles softly as he continues to stare at his sleeping princess. The girl he had proposed to in their hideout in the woods many months ago. The only person he had ever made a promise to. The first person to know the truth about him, and to accept him. He'd protect her forever, he would make sure of it. He would be content to wake up next to her every day(or not, depending on how their marriage goes or if they ever get married).

He realizes that he may have to do a little -pushing- before Gilbert makes any moves. He resolves to talk to Jerry later after school, the french boy was in Avonlea while he was away, maybe he could help him devise a plan to finally get Gilbert to make a move. 

But of course, Cole could start on his own. At school today. His innocently devilish plan involving the letter Anne -his Anne- gave him yesterday. 

 

Anne stirs next to him again and Cole decides to wake her up, he doesn't want to be late to school on his first day back. He grasps her shoulder lightly, her skin letting off warmth through her thin white nightgown. With a smile that seems ever present when he's around Anne he shakes her lightly, watching as she mumbles something again and smiles. 

She opens her eyes to see Cole beaming right back at her, lost in each other's eyes they stare for what seems like forever. 'Anne's eyes are a gorgeous blue, they put the sky and the ocean to shame.

'I could paint her wondrous iris' for the rest of my life and never capture their true beauty' Cole thinks as he slowly pulls himself away from her burning gaze.

"Good morning, darling Cole!" Anne exclaims with a smile, her voice raspy with sleep. 

Cole leans forward slightly and moves his thumb up her nose towards her eye. He gently swipes away the sleep on the inner corner of her right eye, then moves to do the same with the left. 

"Good morning my dear Princess Anne" Cole replies with a smirk, "I'm glad you have decided to awaken from your beauty sleep." 

Anne giggles as she slides off the covers and slips down off the bed, her feet hitting the hard floor with a light thud. Cole slides off the bed as well, walking over to her wardrobe to pick out her outfit for the day as requested. 

Anne giggles with joy as he pulls out her new favorite dress and lays it across the bed. 

"Oh Cole!" She says, a smile stretching across her face, "You picked out the newest addition to my collection! Marilla bought it for me just the other day while she was in town looking for screws to fix the shed out back. Marilla told me she saw it in the store window and just knew Miss Jeannie had put it there specifically for me. When she went to go buy it Miss Jeannie told Marilla she knew I would love the new fabrics she had just gotten imported from France. France!" Anne says wistfully. Cole smirks, waiting for Anne to continue her story.

"She told Marilla that she used the old measurements Matthew gave her for my blue dress and adjusted them a teeny bit, as she knew I must have grown since they were taken. Dearest Cole, isn't the dress so lovely!"

Cole looks down at the dress laying in front of him. The light green color reminding him of the moss that Aunt Josephine used to decorate for her Spring Soiree last year. The smooth silk brushes against his fingers as he drags them over the knee-length dress. The lace at the top a beautiful creme pattern, matching the light green perfectly. The sleeves puffed slightly and covered in lace, going down about three-quarters length. He looks up from the dress to find Anne standing in her underclothes.

"Can you help me put it on? I am ever so afraid that if I try to lace up the back that I'll accidentally rip it somehow. Oh why am I so accident prone, dearest Cole? Why can't I have the grace of Princess Cordelia?" Anne whines, looking towards Cole with hopeful eyes.

Cole laughs and shakes his head, his light red hair glinting in the sunlight as he picks up the dress and walks toward Anne. He undoes the lace up back and holds the dress over Anne's head. She puts her arms up and Cole gingerly pulls the light fabric down over them, not worried how her hair looks at the moment because he'll fix that next.

Her arms are pulled through their designated sleeves, and soon Anne is twirling around the room pretending she is Princess Cordelia and Cole is her handsome prince. She looks to him, reciting a poem reciting a poem by Emily Brontë.

Love is like the wild rose-briar,

Friendship like the holly-tree—

The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms

But which will bloom most constantly?

The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,

Its summer blossoms scent the air;

Yet wait till winter comes again

And who will call the wild-briar fair?

Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now

And deck thee with the holly's sheen,

That when December blights thy brow

He still may leave thy garland green.

As Anne finishes reciting the poem Cole ties the beautiful creme colored ribbon into a fine bow. He grips Anne's shoulders and turns her around to face him. Cole had overestimated the space between them, and as her eyes met his their noses brush slightly, both of them blushing instantaneously. Taking a step back, Cole eyes how the dress falls on Anne. The gorgeous, lacy sleeves framing her thin arms perfectly. The way that the neckline dips down just slightly below the collarbone in a U shape. How the lace up back accentuates her thin waist and makes her appear to have slightly more curve to her body. 

He looks up to her face once again, noticing how the light mossy-green color makes her skin appear less pale, creating the illusion of more rosy undertones. He nods to her and walks her over to the vanity, where she gasps at her reflection. Her freckles seem to dance as her smile widens, showing the beautiful slightly crooked teeth he loves so much. 

Remembering how he wanted to do her hair as well he grabs her brush from off the top of the vanity and drags it slowly through her gorgeous hair of fire. The strands fall through the bristles smoothly, feeling like silk as he runs his fingers over them. 

'How could she ever hate this gorgeous hair spun from fire?' He thinks to himself as he continues brushing her fiery strands. 'It's so beautifully unique, and fits her personality perfectly.' In Cole's eyes, no girl could ever call herself "plain" and be speaking the truth when her hair shines brighter than the sun in summer. 

Soon the small tangles are out, her hair smooth and silky through and through. He finds it smells lightly of flowers and knows it's from the large amount of time Anne spends outdoors, finding scope for her imagination in the fields behind Green Gables. 

He pictures her spinning in this very dress, her hair up in the intricate hairstyle Cole had done once before. The ribbons and some stray strands blowing in the soft breeze as the sun illuminates the field of flowers, making her hair shine like fire against the landscape with its orange and red tones sparkling in the bright sun. 

He smiles at this thought, knowing that's exactly what she would do if it weren't for her fear of ruining the dress with her clumsiness. 

He tells Anne to close her eyes as he begins his hairdressing task.

He picks up a small section of hair and twists it in his fingers lightly, still admiring the silky texture. He grabs two more sections of the same amount and begins to braid them, weaving them together, soon grabbing a ribbon and continuing with the pattern. After making sure everything looks picture perfect he lets it go, the intricate braid falling against her shoulder softly. He turns to do the other braid, repeating the same actions with the creme colored ribbons Marilla had especially bought to go with the new dress. Moving the braid up over her head he binds them together with the third and final ribbon then steps back, admiring his work.

"Anne, you can open your eyes now." He states with much excitement. 

Anne laughs giddily as her eyelids flutter open, a small gasp escaping her lips as she looks at her reflection once again. Her finished look makes her fit for a ball. One of Princess Cordelia's balls at that. The intricate braiding, with the creme ribbons, with the beautiful green dress made her feel like princess Cordelia, and Cole knew it.

Anne turns around whimsically as if lost in her own little world, and leans in to give Cole a kiss on the cheek. Happy tears filling her eyes as her eyelashes brush against him, some of the tears falling onto his nose as her lips press onto him. 

Soon her lips part from his skin once again, and she twirls out of the room to brush go brush her teeth in the washroom. 

Cole's skin tingles from where her lips met his and finds himself so overcome with joy at his friends happiness that he does a little dance in the room as he moves toward where his own clothes sit. As he reaches them he concludes that he shouldn't look too fancy in fear of overshadowing Anne (which he doubted could ever happen due to her unfathomable beauty in the gorgeous green dress), but that he also shouldn't look too casual for he didn't want to make Anne stick out too much (though her fiery red hair and elegant features would always draw attention). 

He picks up his blue and white plaid button- down sweater and some nice brown slacks. Today he would be sure to look like Anne's dearest Prince Cole as he joined her in school today. With a devilish smirk he shoves his letter from Anne deep into his pants pocket, making sure it wasn't going to fall out.

Anne returned soon after he got himself ready, gawking at his prince-like appearance. 

"Why my dearest Prince Cole, your outfit is positively scrumptious!" Anne squeals with delight as she rushes over, picking up her skirt to do a curtsy as graceful and princess-like as she could manage.

"Why thank you, my sweet Princess Cordelia. I must say, you look ravishing in your moss-green dress. It makes your gorgeous hair seem much brighter in comparison, glowing brighter than a million suns."

Anne blushes a deep crimson and links Cole's arm in hers.

"Shall we go attend breakfast in the grand dining hall now, my dear prince?" Anne asks with a giggle, her smile once again causing her freckles to dance.

"Absolutely my ravishing princess!" His reply once again causing Anne to blush.

With that they made their way down the steps of Green Gables, Anne ever so gracefully gliding down them as if she were meant to be in a castle in the far off land of Enchantia, descending the steps made of plush clouds instead of the creaky stairs at the old Green Gables farmhouse. 

Marilla was downstairs already, the smell of breakfast wafting up to meet them as they continued their slow descent. 

"Good morning Anne and Cole, don't you two look put together this morning." Marilla remarks, plating their breakfast of eggs with toast and jam.

"Oh Marilla thank you for noticing, Cole was the one who chose my hairstyle and dress this morning. Such a romantical event, don't you think?" Anne exclaimed dramatically to Marilla and Cole. 

"Yes, thank you Miss Cuthbert." Cole says as he sits down at the wooden table, his plate of breakfast sitting before him. 

Anne sits next to him, her braids swinging slightly against her shoulder. She looks over at Cole and leans over to whisper in his ear.

"I love to pretend that Marilla is the most famous chef in the world and that she works for the palace kitchen, cooking us gourmet meals every day!" Anne whimsically looks over to Marilla, who was now at the washbasin rinsing the dirty dishes from the mornings meal.

Anne continues to chatter on between mouthfuls of food, as Cole quietly listens. If there was one thing he loved most about the redhead sitting next to him, it was most definitely her ability to hold a conversation. The words seem to tumble out of her mouth like her mind was a dictionary with endless possibilities. She even threw in a few french words she had learned from Jerry to show just how expansive her vocabulary truly was. 

Cole could listen to Anne talk for days, just watching her lips as they formed the eloquent sentences that slid off her tongue like smooth butter. Sadly Anne was soon interrupted by Marilla, breaking Cole from his trance-like state.

"Hurry off to school now, you mustn't be late! I'm sure you will have plenty of catching up to do with your old friends, Cole."

Anne stands up swiftly, grabbing Cole's empty plate and placing it atop her own. Gracefully she sashays over to the washbasin and places them in the sudsy water. Her hair swirls around her as she turns around, the toothy smile making another appearance on her face.

"Come, Cole!" she exclaims as she grabs his arm "We must get a move on. I can show you my favorite spot in the woods on our walk to school!" She squeals excitedly as she pulls Cole behind her on their walk to the front door.

She stops suddenly and frowns when they reach the small entryway. Cole follows her gaze down to her old brown boots sitting beside the old wooden door.

"Oh no! My outfit is a total disaster now. These shoes aren't good enough for this pretty dress." Tears threaten to fall down Anne's freckled cheeks as she leans down to pull the shoes onto her feet, pulling at the light brown laces doggedly, tying them in an unsymmetrical bow. She sniffles a little, the words catching in her through. She coughs and continues, still sniffling quietly. "All the boys will laugh and call me ugly orphan, telling all their friends that this is just another dress that I'm borrowing from Diana because Marilla and Matthew don't love me enough to buy me nice clothes. What if-"

Cole interrupts her.

"Anne, you will still look as ravishing in the boots as you do without. They're just boots after all." He pauses, contemplating what to say next as Anne looks up at him with a tear stained face. "I'm sure even Princess Cordelia has stable shoes, or ones she wears outdoors when she takes journeys through open fields of flowers and dark monster infested woods. Everyone has their dirty outdoor shoes." He smiles at Anne, hoping this will cheer her up.

It doesn't work. 

"But Cole, these are the only boots I have, the other shoes are solely for church. This has turned into an awful disguise, like I'm trying to cover up my poor orphan self by dressing in a pretty dress and elegant braids like lovely Diana, I-"

"Anne" Cole says firmly, "You are just as loved as Diana, and this is not a poor disguise. It's not a disguise at all. You are no-longer an orphan and the boots are honestly insignificant to the outfit. Every boy will be too busy staring at your hair and face to even notice the slightly dirty boots on your feet. But if it makes you feel any better I can tell everyone that there was a slightly muddy area of the path outside Green Gables and you accidentally stepped through it."

Anne's lips quirk up slightly, the last few tears falling down her cheeks as her eyes brighten significantly. 

"You really mean that? Lying is a sin, I wouldn't want you to have to-"

He stops her again, gazing at his Anne with utmost affection.

"Yes, my dear Princess Cordelia. I would do anything for you."

If it was impossible for Anne's expression to brighten any more than it had, she had just made a breakthrough. She throws her arms around Cole, burying her pale face into his shoulder. The light smell of flowers hits his nose again, and he takes a deep breath. Wanting this moment to last for just a little longer. 

He wraps one arm gingerly around her waist, the other hand reaching up to touch her braid, feeling the woven strands as if they were delicate as a flower petal.

"Anne" he whispers after a few moments pass, "we should probably leave for school now."

He pulls away from her slowly, smiling. Anne smiles back.

"Lead the way my fair prince!"

With that they open the door and step outside into the crisp morning air, starting their short trek towards the old schoolhouse.

\--

Anne's POV

The delightful smell of flowers meets her nose as they pass through the open field towards the small shape of the schoolhouse in the distance. The walk had been absolutely romantical, finally united with Cole for more than a few hours had left so many things for her to talk about. She had a specific question in mind that she couldn't ask in the presence of Gilbert, so she decided to bring it up before they arrived at school. She wrings her hands in front of her nervously, her eyes darting towards Cole before she finally speaks.

"Have you met any boys you're interested in?" Anne manages to choke out, nervous she was overstepping any unsaid boundaries Cole might have set. She glances towards him nervously and speeds up her walk a little bit, feeling like she made a mistake, expecting Cole to be upset with her.

Cole laughs and walks faster as well to catch up with her.

"Not yet" he says between laughs, "but I saw this cute boy at the train station in Charlottetown before I got here." He blushes suddenly, and Anne concludes that he must not be used to talking about his feelings with people-- especially not girls.

Anne smiles, clearly relieved at his calm response.

"Oh Cole, I know the perfect person is out there for you somewhere. But please don't forget our engagement... just in case. We are perfect kindred spirits and I just know that if neither of us marry, which knowing me that's the greatest possibility, we would make a powerful pair."

By now Cole had stopped blushing and was grinning like a madman at Anne.

"How could I ever forget an engagement with a wonderful girl like you. I'll have you know that if you were a boy you would've already swept me off my feet." He adds with an airy laugh. "I agree, we would make quite the power couple. Your knowledge would perfectly contrast my arts, and your stories would be great inspiration for paintings and drawings."

Anne nods, knowing that finally she could get over never marrying for romantical love like in all the books she's read, because her love for Cole was a powerful thing. Their kindred souls intertwined together, a bond never to be broken. 

She smiles as she lightly moves to grabs his hand, turning to look into his ocean eyes.

"I love you, Cole." She declares proudly.

"I love you too, Anne." He replies as he interlaces his fingers with hers.

A tall figure with dark curly hair walks a few paces behind them, hurt evident on his face as he watches the scene before him in a mix of shock and horror.

\-----

Gilbert's POV

A heavy sadness wraps around his heart as he takes in the scene. He knew Anne and Cole were close before, but after last night and what's happening now he knew it was a much deeper relationship than what they disclosed to everyone else.

'Friends don't say I love you as they stare into each other's eyes.' (or at least not any friends that he knew of.)

'Friends don't hold hands while they say I love you.'

The sadness constricts his lungs, inhibiting his breathing. He lets out a small cough, immediately regretting it as both the redheads whip around to see who was following them.

He notices Cole's lips quirk up slightly as he stares into Anne's eyes regretfully.

'Does he want me to suffer through this?'

'Does he know how I feel right now? Seeing my Anne slowly become his Anne!'

Rage builds up inside him as he turns his head and locks eyes with Cole, his hazel eyes glinting in the rising sun. 

\-----

Anne's POV

Something seems to pass between the two boys as Gilbert stares intently at Cole, but Cole doesn't look at Gilbert as intensely, tilting his head up and smirking slightly as if he was pleased this was happening.

But why?

Little did she know that Cole's plan was slowly falling into place, and....

It had only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah the tension so thick you can cut it with a knife.  
> Do you guys like the drama?  
> I also want to inform y'all that I will be going on a camping trip (leaving Saturday and coming back next Sunday) but no worries, as I will be writing on the way to and from camping to make sure that I have content ready for y'all when I get back.  
> Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I figured I might as well get this up because I can always edit it later.  
> Give kudos, comment, bookmark, or whatever you feel like doing after reading this second chapter (I hope it's at least half as good as the first one)  
> Much love and appreciation for all of my reads.  
> Julia xoxo


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Cole's first day back at school.

Gilbert's POV

"Good morning Gilbert!" Anne's voice carries over the small distance between them, immediately easing the thick tension.

Gilbert allows himself to smile, the happiness flowing through his veins once again, filling him with a certain warmth he couldn't find the words to describe. Anne's blue eyes met his hazel ones and he let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. It was moments like these where he could almost imagine that him and Anne were together.

For a few long moments it was just him and Anne, standing in the middle of the field on the way to school. The world slowly melting away as they got lost in each other's eyes.

Anne takes a few steps forward, holding out her hand for him to take. He reaches up and intertwines their fingers.....

But something else caught his eye before his imagination could take him too far from reality.

Cole.

The tall redhead was still there.

Of course he was still there.... and not only was he still standing there, he was watching him and Anne stare at each other, eyes drifting slowly between the two of them with a look of amusement written all over his face.

Who exactly does Cole think he is? He takes my Anne and now he has the audacity to find humor in my current predicament? How. Dare. He.

Gilbert doesn't have an ounce of care for politeness left. With an eye roll that leaves the slightest trace of a headache he walks forwards and pushes past the two of them, quickly closing the 10 meter gap between him and the school, his hard footfall creating light clouds of dirt in his wake.

Cole's POV

Gilbert pushes past Cole, and he watches his figure slowly get smaller as he walks nearer to the schoolhouse, not even bothering to take a glance back.

"What was that all about?" he hears Anne ask as she stares at Gilbert's retreating figure with confusion?

He quickly wipes the smile off his face and turns to face her.

"I don't know, maybe he's just having a bad day. I would talk to him after school, you two are working on your vocation studies today, are you not?"

Anne's expression brightens instantaneously, a smile sweeping across her lips.

"I had forgotten about that! Thank you for reminding me. I will ask if he wants to walk home with me today, that would be a great opportunity for me to talk to him without the stress from certain classmates." Her increasingly bitter tone hinting that those certain classmates could be none other than Josie Pye and Billy Andrews.

Faint laughter comes from inside the schoolhouse and Cole remembers that class will be starting soon. Grabbing Anne's arm they walk through the tall grass to the wooden steps.

"Ladies first" He says with a bow as he opens the old door.

Anne giggles and does a curtsy before entering the warm schoolhouse. The loud animated chatter stops as Cole steps through the door, hanging up his coat (but not before secretly fishing the note out of his pocket, shoving it down into his pants pocket instead). All at once the girls swarm him, Diana and Ruby plagued with ever so many questions about his time in Charlottetown since their last meeting.

Gilbert's POV

 

Gilbert looks up from his books.

'Why is everyone obsessing over Cole? It's not like he was gone for 8 months, with only one letter received....' Gilbert thinks, jealousy twisting through him and flooding through his veins. It was days like this that Gilbert felt insignificant. It was obvious that Anne liked Cole more than she liked him, so what's the point?

Gilbert stops himself.

No.

He couldn't give up.

He wouldn't give up.

Anne was too important.

Anne would be his. NOT Cole's.

He takes another glance at the large group formed around Cole. Anne is in the middle too, beaming at Cole with the same smile that Gilbert sees in his dreams. The smile Anne's dream self has when she looks at him. He hopes that someday she will look at him like she looks at Cole.

Miss Stacey walks into the room and immediately the group disperses, leaving Cole in the back of the room standing awkwardly. Miss Stacey quickly glances to the back of the room to try to find out what all the commotion was about. A smile appears on her face as her eyes land on Cole.

"Cole, my goodness you've returned! Please, please come take a seat and join us. I believe there's an empty seat next to-" She pauses a second, scanning the boys side of the room. Her eyes lay upon the empty desk next to Gilbert.

Gilbert silently curses Charlie for moving to sit with Moody that day, because now it seems it will be a permanent (or at least semi-permanent) arrangement.

Miss Stacey's eyes meet Gilbert's, the smile still plastered on her face, Gilbert silently pleading with her not to say what he already knew was about to come out of her mouth.

"-Gilbert!"

It takes all of Gilbert's self control not to let out a string of curses he had learned on the steamship. His eyes meet Cole's as he approaches his new desk. He stares daggers at Cole, hoping that he would pick a different seat- preferably somewhere far away from him... and Anne, who sat right across the aisle fueling Gilbert's burning rage even more for now her and Cole would be close to each other all day long.

Anne smiles as Cole sits down, flashing Gilbert a smile.

Gilbert doesn't return the warm gesture. He turns his head to the front of the classroom convinced that there's steam coming out of his ears as he tries to focus on Miss Stacey's announcements for the day instead of the person beside him.

"Guess we're desk buddies now, eh?" Cole whispers to Gilbert

"Yeah sure.... desk buddies...." Gilbert replies, dragging out the word 'buddies' with a thick sarcastic tone. Gilbert wasn't one to be mean on purpose, his father had raised him to be respectful, and though a small part of him felt guilty for casting aside the years of good manners that his father had instilled in him he was too angry at Cole to care.

These past few months Gilbert had worked so hard to try to establish a good friendship with Anne, and once he was back on her good side Cole had come back and Anne had seemingly forgotten all about him.

His anger turns to a deep longing, and he sneaks a glance at the beautiful redhead sitting 10 feet away from him. The 'glance' turns into a stare and suddenly all the problems in reality fade away as his gaze stays magnetized to her every move.

The way that she holds her pencil is so delicate.

The way she bites her bottom lip when she's concentrating is so cute.

The way her fiery hair sweeps across her shoulders in the intricate braids emphasizes her gorgeous cheekbones and collarbone.

Everything about Anne is perfect to Gilbert.

Gilbert doesn't notice Cole looking at him, until he taps his shoulder gently. Gilbert jerks back, reality crashing down as he remembers that he's in the middle of math class and should be listening to Miss Stacey instead of staring at Anne.

Cole scribbles something on his slate and slowly moves it over to Gilbert's side of the table.

'I'm glad you like the braids I put in her hair'

Gilbert reads the scrawled writing quickly, embarrassed that Cole had caught him staring at her, but also angry that Cole had gotten to braid the luscious strands that Gilbert could only dream of touching again. Ever since that fateful day...

Anne had ignored him all day.

Finally, during math class he worked up the courage to try and talk to her again. He knew she was struggling, he could see it in her expression as she gazed at the board and then back at her blank slate. She aimlessly copied down the equation, quite obviously uninformed of how to solve it.

He did the first think he could think of. He threw his scrap piece of paper crumpled into a ball, in her general direction, hitting the floor beside her desk. She stiffens and looks up, clearly annoyed before clenching her jaw slightly and returning to her aimless scribbling. Still ignoring his attempt at communication.

But Gilbert doesn't care.

This time he's going to make her notice him.

He throws the next thing he can think of: the chalk for his slate. Since he finished his math problem it didn't really matter if he threw it.

It hits the ground with a small click-like sound. She looks back up, stiffening again. Agitation clear on her face.

He grabs the apple he brought fresh from his orchard and gets up slowly, as to not call too much attention to himself. Or at least, not any attention from Mr. Phillip's, as the whole class was already staring, confused as to what he was doing and why he was interacting with the strange 'orphan girl'.

He crosses the small distance between the two tables and leans over, placing the apple on her desk gently. Saying "whoops" before leaning down to pick up the stuff he threw over to her.

Anne continues to stare straight ahead, her breathing becoming heavy and ragged, but Gilbert doesn't pay much attention to that. His sole focus- no, his mission- was to get this gorgeous fiery-haired girl to notice him. And he would accomplish that even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Hey!" he mutters, hoping she will respond.

Nothing. Nothing but more ragged breaths. Not even a glance in his direction.

In a one last desperate attempt to get her to notice him he does something he immediately regrets.

He reaches up and grabs her long red braid.

"Carrots" He says as he yanks her braid down, standing up slightly in the process.

"I'm not talking to you!" She yells as she picks up her almost blank slate and wacks it hard against his face.

The entire class is looking now, gasps filling the room at Anne's sudden outburst. Mr. Phillips turns from his position at the blackboard to see what the matter was.

The pain courses through Gilbert's cheek as he holds his hand there, but he can't help the smile that spreads across his face, mirth glinting in his bright hazel eyes.

"You just did."

He had done it.

He had gotten Anne Shirley-Cuthbert to notice him.

What he didn't know, was this would be a defining moment. This event would cause months of hatred.

A hatred that was only resolved with the death of his father and his decision to leave Avonlea.

Gilbert is once again snapped back to reality with Cole tapping his shoulder once again, a new note scribbled on the black slate pushed in front of him.

'Miss Stacey is about to make an important announcement, sorry to interrupt your daydream.'

Gilbert rolls his eyes but turns his attention toward Miss Stacey, who is standing at the front of the room in line with the first row. Her voice carrying firmly through the classroom, the student's chatter dying down as they once again focused their attention on the kind teacher they've taken a great liking to- she was a much better teacher than Mr. Phillips, and cared about their education more too.

"We will be working on a geometry project for the next week, this will count as a test grade, so make sure that you put in your best effort. To make this easier for all of you, as most of you have chosen your seating arrangements you will do the project with your table mate. Make sure that you both put in equal work, and you will have to meet after school as there won't be much time in class."

Gilbert resists the urge to roll his eyes- again. This project would not be a fun experience.

"Alright class, you are dismissed for lunch."

With that Miss Stacey retreated to the back room of the classroom, and many students raced out the door to go get their milks from the creek.

Anne, Ruby, and Diana hang back in the classroom, eager to talk to Cole. They go to the back of the room and sit down in a open-sided square, waiting for Cole to join them.

"Cole!" Diana shouts across the schoolhouse to get his attention.

With a laugh Cole stands up slowly, a piece of paper falling out of his pants' pocket. He grabs his small lunch sack and walks over to the girls. Diana and Ruby bombard him with questions.

Gilbert picks up the piece of paper and places it on the table, trying very hard not to be bothered by the words 'dearest Cole' written neatly on the front.

His eyes drift aimlessly over the pages of his medical textbook, not reading anything. His mind is plagued by the curiosity concerning what could possibly be written in the letter Anne wrote to Cole, and why he had brought it to school with him.

With a quick glance upward to make sure Cole isn't watching he unfolds the piece of paper and reads the letter. His heart plummeting with every word Anne wrote.

'Oh Cole!

Must we be so far away. I miss you ever so dearly, my heart aching for you every time I see a drawing, or look at your old broken sculptures laying outside our old hideout. I see your face in the shadows of my room, memories of your joyous laugh haunting the fields in which my imagination roams. Every time I pass through the schoolhouse I remember the dreaded game of 'Spin the Bottle' during which we kissed, and the day you did my hair. Oh! The elegant braids with ribbons were divine. I feel my heart leap with pride as I remember that you and I have already made plans of engagement, for I know that certainly there is no human on this beautiful green Earth that could make me happier and more accepted than you.

Every time I write to you I feel like Princess Cordelia writing to her handsome prince in his faraway kingdom. The thought fills me with so much glee, for you, my handsome Prince Cole (yes, your name is perfect just the way it is, unlike my plain "Anne") live far away in Charlottetown, far away from my warm embrace as shadows of longing cloud my heart and mind when I think of the way your lip quirks into your smile, light from the heavens is pouring from your eyes, blinding me with love and devotion. Devotion that I can only give to you!

I look forward to your proposal in the distant future, as I imagine a beautiful spring wedding amidst a field filled with blooming flowers, my hair done the same way you put it up that day in class. All the memories we shared flowing around us as we become two kindred spirits bound as one. Oh how I relish the thought of us living side by side, united in a way that not many will understand.

Yours truly,

Anne Shirley- Cuthbert

'Anne and Cole were engaged?'

Great.

Now he really had no chance.

He would never get to see Anne's fiery red hair up in an intricate bun with a gorgeous white gown falling over her delicate features as she walked down the aisle towards him.

He would never get to feel the silk of her veil as he pulled it over her face when she reached the alter, finally after all this time declaring her unconditional love for him.

With a heavy heart and tears in his eyes, he looks over to the small group. Their voices had become hushed, and Gilbert could no longer hear the girls' squeals of delight as Cole revealed the many things he had done during his stay with Aunt Josephine in Charlottetown. From Anne's look of wonder Gilbert can tell that Anne hadn't heard much about what had happened in the five months Cole had stayed there. Ready to give up on Anne, and his completeness he feels when he's with her, he closes his textbook and grabs his lunch sack getting up to go outside for he is in need of fresh air right about now.

Diana and Ruby sit quietly, listening and whispering to each other before finally their silence is broken as they both ask the same question at the same time, a question that boggles Gilbert's mind as he makes his way to the door of the schoolhouse.

"MEET ANY NEW BOYS?!!" Diana and Ruby exclaim at the same time?!

Gilbert pauses at the door, glancing back at the group.

What? Why would it matter if Cole had met any new boys?

He hears Cole suck in a deep breath before falling into a fit of laughter, tears falling down his cheeks as he tries to regain composure.

"There was this boy at the train station in Charlottetown....." He trails off as a series of "oohs" and high pitched squeals escape Ruby and Diana's mouths. They giggle with a kind of child-like delight, as if one of their small friends had told the funniest joke.

Gilbert manages to break away his stare and return his attention back to outside where he was headed. He needed that fresh air now more than ever. He had a lot of questions, so he needed to do some thinking.

But just his luck, it was then, as he turned the handle on the old door that Miss Stacey decides to ring the bell to signal that lunch was officially over. The students now had five minutes to return to their seats before they would be counted tardy.

With an exasperated huff Gilbert turns around and makes his way back to his seat. He would have to get the fresh air later on his walk home.

He glances back at the group, who were now packing up their half-eaten lunches and sees Anne chugging down her milk. She finishes and slams the glass down with a loud clank. Cole erupts in laughter as he does the same. It was then that Gilbert notices that Ruby and Diana are counting, timing them he assumes. With one final swig Cole too slams down his glass with a look of triumph on his face as Ruby announces that Cole was two seconds quicker than Anne.

Anne, with a look of defeat, grabs her empty bottle and places it in her lunch sack. She hits Cole's shoulder lightly and with a laugh screams cheater as she quickly ruffles his hair before darting up quickly to run back to her seat.

With a laugh Cole jumps to his feet.

"Hey! How dare you accuse me of cheating. You're the one who had less in the bottle!"

He races back to her seat as well and begins to pull on her braids.

"I could take these out if you want to start ruining hair!"

He begins to pull at the ribbons.

Gilbert's eyes are magnetized to the scene, he couldn't look away.

His gaze is fixed on Cole's hands now. He, again, gets to touch her hair. The beautiful silky strands Gilbert can only dream of running his fingers through.

"Cole!" Anne yells through her airy laughter, "Please no! You know I love you and this hairstyle!"

Gilbert freezes and Cole does too. Smirking, Cole leans down towards Anne who gives him a dirty look as he gently tugs on her hair and whispers something quietly before making his way back to his seat right across the aisle from her.

If Gilbert didn't know any better he could've sworn Cole called her 'carrots'.

He looks back over to see Anne brandishing her slate with an evil smile on her face as if to say 'you're in for it now, Cole'.

'They make quite the pair.' Gilbert thinks as he turns his attention back to the front of the classroom as Miss Stacey prepares for their next lesson.

'But what about the comment about the boy at the Charlottetown train station..... Why would it matter if Cole had met any new boys? He couldn't be..... No way! Anne spoke of marriage in her letter. They were definitely together.'

Though it pained Gilbert to think about it, he would have to move on from Anne. It would be unkind of him to covet a girl who belongs to another man. It may take a bit, but Gilbert had made up his mind to get over Anne.

After all, there was sweet Ruby who looked at him with the biggest heart eyes. The same heart eyes he could picture himself giving Anne....

He's jerked out of his thoughts once again by the gentle push of a slate in front of him.

'We should meet at my house today after school to discuss our plans for the geometry project. You can stay for dinner.' is neatly written in crisp white letters.

Of course.

The project.

Gilbert had almost forgotten about the dreaded project with the girl he loves' fiance. And now of course they would be working at Green Gables. But dinner with Anne didn't sound so bad.

Gilbert quickly scrawls something and pushes it back towards Cole.

'Yeah, that sounds good to me. I'm sure Mary and Bash will be relieved to have more time alone.'

Gilbert looks back up towards Miss Stacey and listens intently to the rest of her lecture, both eager for and dreading the end of the school day.

\--------

Cole's POV

"Vocation studies will be cancelled today, I have important business to attend to in Charlottetown." Miss Stacey's voice rises above the chatter of students.

Miss Stacey dismisses class and Cole stands up, his long arms reaching high towards the ceiling. He looks over to Anne as he places his arms back against his sides. Anne is still sitting at her desk whispering animatedly with Diana and Ruby. Cole can't hear their conversations through muffled whispers and laughs but he can only guess they're talking about one of two things.

Their project ideas (but somehow it seems the less likely option because Ruby is not doing the project with Diana and Anne.

Or

Ruby is once again discussing her infatuation with Gilbert Blythe, and how dreamy he looks today in his crisp white sweater and dark brown slacks, with his curly hair disheveled and falling unevenly across his forehead.

Cole assumes it's the latter, as he glances down at the handsome Gilbert Blythe who is packing up his stuff in his satchel, preparing for the walk home with Cole, Anne, and Diana.

"Goodbye my friends!" Ruby says sweetly, hugging Anne and Diana.

"Goodbye dearest Ruby!" Anne replies as she too gets up from her desk, and walks over to the coatroom to fetch her coat and hat, Diana in tow.

The two girls continue to talk in muffled whispers as they reach the doorway to the school. Cole walks into the coatroom as well, moving his satchel into his right hand to grab his coat with his left. Cole notices Anne's eyes drift over to a certain boy who is now walking over to the trio.

Gilbert and Anne's eyes meet, Anne quickly casting her gaze to the old boots that still adorn her feet, suddenly more interesting than they were this morning. Cole smirks.

"You ready to leave Gilbert. I think we should get started on our project as soon as possible."

"Yes dear Diana, we should get going too. Green Gables is filled with so much excitement at dusk and I am so hoping we are finished early enough to explore the meadow behind the house. It's so romantical when you admire it with those you love...." She stares out the window dreamily, obviously picturing the beautiful meadow behind Green Gables.

"Oh Anne that sounds like a lovely plan! Maybe we can take our dinner outside tonight and enjoy it in the fields- like a picnic!" Diana exclaims with a bright smile on her face, revealing her gorgeous dimples.

"Care if we join you as well?" Cole asks, motioning to him and Gilbert.

Anne, realizing what Cole means when he says we stares dumbstruck, her mouth making a small 'o' as she blushes crimson, obviously flustered without a clue of how to respond.

"If you wish" she manages to squeak out before turning sharply toward the door.

Cole lets out a laugh as she seemingly struggles with opening the door. Strolling towards her he removes her hand and turns the handle agonizingly slow, giving Gilbert and Diana time to reach the doorway before Anne has an opportunity to fling it open and run out at the speed of a racehorse.

Before Anne gets the chance to take one step out of the schoolhouse Cole links her right arm in his, inhibiting any fast movements.

With a huff, Anne walks at Cole's slow pace and turns toward the person beside her.

An alarmed look passes over her face as she realizes Gilbert is walking beside her instead of Diana. The sudden realization dawns on her and in surprise she drops her satchel, her books, slate, and chalk spreading across the leave strewn path.

Cole releases Anne's arm from his so she can pick up her books, but a certain someone was already on his knees.

"Let me help you with that" Gilbert's sweet voice carries up to Anne, who was standing frozen in her spot as Gilbert, being the gentleman that he is, picks up her satchel and hands it to her.

"Thank you for your help, but I could've done it myself." Anne says curtly as she takes her satchel back and walks around to Cole's right to speak with Diana, who was evidently pleased by the brief interaction between Gilbert and Anne.

Any interaction at all was progress.

Cole thinks back to the first night he was back, and how extremely disappointed Gilbert had been when Anne paid little attention to him, but how his eyes lit up like a million stars when she even briefly acknowledged him.

Cole has known that Gilbert has a crush on Anne for a while now. He even informed Anne of it before his meeting with Aunt Josephine. Cole also knows Anne has a crush on Gilbert, even if she won't admit it.

They both snuck glances at each other in class many times that day, and Cole was more determined than ever to make them an item. He decided that tonight was as good a time as ever to make it happen.

Everyone in Avonlea seemed to notice the two's chemistry. Except them of course.

And Ruby, who seemed to be in denial that Gilbert could end up with anyone but her.

But Ruby would have to live.

Cole would make Anne and Gilbert an item if it was the death of him.

He had kept the secret from Diana for the whole day, it was so hard. Aunt Josephine had wanted it to be kept from her until he could tell everyone at once, but if Cole wanted his matchmaking plan to work he had to tell the three of them tonight. The rest of the class could be told tomorrow.

Aunt Josephine's Soiree was to be a masquerade ball this year.

A Masquerade that was themed after autumn (Anne's favorite season) and spring (Anne's birth season), encompassing the beautiful autumn leaves and barren trees that Anne loves so much, but also imported magnolia trees and cherry trees because they were Anne's favorites. They had discussed that this would be the perfect birthday present for Anne, even though it would be months early. Though the theme would prove to be a challenge to entwine the two very different seasons they would do it for Anne.

They continue their walk through the woods, the only sound being the incessant chatter between Anne and Diana. Anne exclaiming how beautiful or romantical something she had found in the woods was, and Diana agreeing as they both stare at the creature or plant with absolute adoration.

Someone else is looking with absolute adoration as well. But not at anything Anne was pointing at but at Anne herself. Cole looks over with the same smirk he had been wearing around the two of them almost all day.

"She's gorgeous isn't she?" Cole remarks as he strides over to where Gilbert is staring at Anne, who is admiring a beautiful autumn leaf with Diana.

"Yeah, she is. She's astoni-" Gilbert stops himself, looking down at ground to hide his obvious blush.

"You like her don't you-- you have a crush on her." Cole turns the question into a statement as he stares at Gilbert with a knowing look, his left eyebrow raised.

An emotion of -sadness?- comes over Gilbert's bright features as he lifts up his head once again to face Cole.

"I- uh- I- um- n-no?" Gilbert stammers out as he closes his eyes tightly and looks toward the ground. Bracing himself for the moment Cole's fist makes contact with his jaw, or the moment Cole's yells ring through the serene woods.

But that moment never comes.

He opens his eyes and finds a giggling Cole.

"What?!" Gilbert asks, obviously irritated with him.

"Aha- hahaha- nothi--haha-nothing." Cole says as he catches his breath, he was laughing so hard. He starts to say something but is interrupted by Gilbert.

"Look, I found this on your desk and it was the same letter Anne gave you so I got curious, and I- um- I read it. I'm sorry." He puts his hand into his coat pocket and pulls out the crumpled up letter, handing it over to Cole.

"Hey, it's okay. I-"

Gilbert interrupts him.

"I know you and Anne are a, -um- a -uh-. You know....." Gilbert trails off, as the sad look crosses over his face again. He takes a deep breath and continues, Cole listening intently, "I'm happy for both of you and your engagement. You bring Anne so much happiness. Happiness I will never be able to bring her." The last sentence is quiet, Cole could barely hear it. Cole's heart wrenches in his chest as he realizes how broken Gilbert is. His plan had worked, Gilbert was jealous, but the only thing it had truly accomplished was breaking Gilbert's heart. He puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Gilbert. Anne and I aren't engaged."

Gilbert looks up, tears welling in his bright hazel eyes. He quickly blinks them away, clearing his throat awkwardly so he can respond. His voice is thick with emotion.

"Pardon?"

Cole starts to laugh, but stops himself when he takes another look at the broken boy.

"Anne and I made a simple... agreement. If neither of us find love we will marry each other. Anne only brings it up because she's so naive and believes that she will never get a boy to love her." He looks at Gilbert with another knowing smile before continuing. "We're kindred spirits, nothing more. I could never be with Anne..." He takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words to say what he needed to. Pausing his walking he turns to Gilbert.

"I like boys."

A now surprised Gilbert pauses next to him, the girls continuing their walk to the now visible Green Gables gate.

"Oh...." Is all Gilbert says as he stares at the slightly taller boy.

Cole cracks a smile and begins walking again, trying to catch up with the girls.

"Come on Gilbert! If we don't start on our project we won't be able to join the girls outside for dinner!"

Gilbert's POV

So many emotions wash over him when Cole confides in him. It takes a moment for him to process that not only are Cole and Anne not actually engaged but Cole could never like Anne like that because he wasn't attracted to females at all.

Gilbert feels relieved, the jealousy no longer a spiraling whirlwind in his stomach. He feels hope, as Cole was no longer in the way of his Anne. A sudden burst of excitement shoots through his veins like adrenaline and he looks up to the sky smiling, the dimples on his cheeks deepening as his smile gets bigger and bigger, he just can't help himself.

Cole had made it all the way to the gate by the time Gilbert had registered that he was still in the woods in front of Green Gables. Gripping his satchel he continues towards the now open gate, Cole standing there waiting for him.

He sees Anne in the distance with Diana, halfway through the field leading towards Green Gables. He stares, walking absentmindedly through the gate, watching as Anne's hair bumps against her shoulder as she skips with Diana.

"C'mon desk buddy" Cole chuckles as he links arms with Gilbert, "Let's go inside to start our project, you can stare at Anne in the field during dinner after I deliver the big announcement that comes all the way from Charlottetown."

With a laugh both boys continue through the field to the white house of a beautiful girl that went by the name of Anne Shirley-Cuthbert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I am still camping, but I didn't want to make you guys wait too long so I thought I would upload this now.  
> xoxox  
> Julia


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/? of this day.

Gilbert's POV

The kids diligently worked on their geometry projects all afternoon into the early evening.

Well, almost all the kids.

While everyone else was busy discussing the way they could creatively display the answer to their problems, their chalks etching ideas onto their slates, their pens scratching their papers Gilbert was lost in a daydream.

A daydream that involved Anne and him living in a beautiful white house in Avonlea right next to the Avenue or the 'White Way of Delight' as Anne had coined it, so that every morning they could both get the view they wanted.

Anne, was looking out the window of their bedroom, staring down at the beautiful white flowers,

Gilbert, watching Anne, her red hair glistening under the rising sun. The sunbeams hitting her freckles in a way that made them appear to dance and move under the shadows.

Gilbert gets up, and walks over to where Anne stands at the window. He grasps her hand in his and leans down to kiss the top of her head, which reaches a little above his shoulders. Her giggle fills the room as he places more kisses all over her hair, his lips brushing against her cheek as he leans down even further.

More giggles are heard, but a more childish kind.

Anne steps away from the window and turns around, facing two bright eyed children with rosy cheeks, one with hair the color of the sunrise and his eyes a beautiful hazel green, the freckles adorning his tan skin like a million constellations. The other with dark locks and striking blue eyes, her hair falling down her back in wild curls that contrast perfectly against her pale skin.

Gilbert laughs and turns to Anne.

"It's funny how they both got a mix of our striking features. All thanks to you carro-"

"Gilbert Blythe!" Anne says as she laughs her wispy laugh

"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert-Blythe!" Gilbert responds, laughing with Anne. "Man, that's quite a mouthful." Anne shoots him a look.

"I could just remove the last part of my name if you wish!" Anne states with a smirk as she takes the two children out of the room and downstairs for breakfast.

"You know you won't do that!" Gilbert calls to her as she leaves the room

"Are you sure about that, Mr. Blythe." Anne calls back with another laugh

"I'm absolutely positive, Mrs. Blythe." Gilbert answers, drawling out 'Mrs. Blythe' like he never wanted the words to leave his mouth. He would never get used to her being his.

"It's Mrs. Shirley-Cuthbert-Blythe!" Anne exclaims once again, this time from the kitchen.

Gilbert sighs as he makes his way out of their room and down the stairs, following the sound of his kids' laughter.

As he reaches the bottom step he sees two pictures on the wall. There are four people in one. Marilla is in the right corner, her usually serious face is brightened by a beautiful smile, as she looks at the happy couple in the center. Gilbert is on the left, and Anne is on the right. Anne stares directly at the camera, Gilbert on the other hand is staring at Anne with a dreamy smile on his face. Matthew behind the both of them is looking straight into the camera as well, the angle of the picture making his face take on a more youthful look.

In the other picture there are so many. It's a picture taken of them by the tree in front of the schoolhouse on the last day of school, before all of them went to college. Moody is in the back with a wicked grin on his face, holding a terrified Charlie Sloane above his head. Anne is in the front her arms linked with Diana and Ruby. Cole standing behind all of them holding Anne's hair to the sides with his eyes crossed and a goofy look on his face. Josie Pye and Tillie are smiling in the back, sitting on top of Billy's shoulders as Jane sits cross-legged in between her brother's legs, a look of shock on her face with her hands cupping her cheeks to add emphasis. Miss Stacey stands off to the side, a smile on her face as she watches all of her graduating students.

Even as Gilbert breaks out of his daydream he feels his heart jerk in his chest, the two pictures burning into his memory. Though they're fake Gilbert has a suspicion these pictures appeared in his daydream for a reason.

Cole breaks his train of thought by asking Gilbert the same question he had been for the past hour and a half.

"Gilbert? Are you okay?"

Gilbert shakes his head slightly to clear it, processing what Cole is asking.

"Yeah?" Gilbert responds, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

Marilla's voice is heard from the kitchen.

"You kids requested a picnic to eat out in the fields, so here's the basket. Come get it Anne!"

Anne stands up from her spot in front of Gilbert and races into the kitchen, giggles filling the hallway.

Anne races back into the room and past everyone, her hair flowing behind her as the ribbons fall to the ground. Diana gets up too, smoothing her apron as she runs to get her shoes on too. Gilbert and Cole share a look as they watch the two beautiful girls lace up their boots and rush out the door as if they would miss the sunset if they wasted even one second inside. The two boys stand up slow, taking their time walking over to the door knowing the girls will *probably* wait for them before they eat.

Anne's POV

The sun smiles down on her and Diana as they sit in the meadow behind Green Gables.

"The boys sure are taking their time." Anne remarks, waiting to see their figures coming around the house.

"Oh Anne. It's okay. We can set out the food while we wait!" Diana exclaims excitedly as she takes the steaming dishes out of the basket and places them on the picnic blanket.

Anne looks to Diana with a smile and takes out the plates and cutlery before looking back over to the house. She sees two figures round the house, the two boys stopping to look over to the two girls.

"Sure is taking you long enough!" Anne yells to them

"We're admiring the view!" Gilbert calls back.

"Oh! Yes! The view is glorious under the evening sun!" Anne says wistfully as she gazes out into the meadow.

Anne was oblivious to the fact that Gilbert wasn't talking about the meadow, though it was pretty. He was talking about the fiery haired girl who sat on a picnic blanket in the middle of the green grass filled with wildflowers. The sunlight glinting off her hair and freckles just as it did in his daydream.

He is snapped out of his dream by an impatient Anne grabbing him and Cole's hands and pulling them towards the spread of food.

"We need to hurry up and eat so we can go and explore this romantical meadow. If we finish eating in about 30 minutes we can explore for around an hour before we have to return to watch the sunset--"

Anne is interrupted by Cole.

"Anne. I love your calculations, but there really is no need. We can enjoy only 45 minutes of exploring just the same if we take a little-"

Anne laughs.

"Oh Cole! You and I both know an hour of exploring is much better than only 45 minutes! So why don't we just-"

This time Diana interrupts Anne, quickly finishing her sentence.

"Why don't we just say grace?" Diana asks quickly, grabbing Anne's hand.

Anne blushes crimson as she realizes that she is sitting next to Gilbert. A million shocks of electricity course through her as he takes her hand in his.

His hands are smooth but rough at the same time.

Why is my stomach so fluttery all of a sudden?

His hand fits so well in mine, like two puzzle pieces joined together perfectly.

I wonder if he's thinking the same thing.

Probably not. I'm much more of an intellectual than Gilbert Blythe. After all, I have been the winner of the last few spelling bees. Gilbert always seems to forget the 'e' in his words.

Anne's mind stops whirring as she bows her head to pray, Diana starting with Anne's signature 'Gracious heavenly father'.

Once the "amen's" are said the kids dig into Marilla's amazing shepherd's pie, the flavors of the sauce and the meat mixing together scrumptiously.

Anne is the first to finish, too concerned about missing the sunset to care much about her table manners. She quickly wipes her mouth with one of the cloth napkins Marilla had packed for them and stands up abruptly.

"I'm going to go on a walk through the meadow. You all can join me once you finish."

With that, Anne trudges off through the flowers, twirling once she has moved a good distance from the blanket.

Cole's POV

Once Cole is certain that Anne is out of earshot he turns to the two friends with a smile on his face.

"I was supposed to tell everyone at once but I figure I can tell you two the secret now and we can all surprise Anne later."

"What secret?" Diana asks, puzzled.

Cole smiles, looking as if he is about to burst with excitement.

"Aunt Josephine is hosting an autumn and spring themed masquerade ball this Saturday for Anne's birthday. And before you say anything, yes I know her birthday isn't until the spring but what better time to have a partly autumn themed ball than in the autumn when you can get fresh red leaves off the trees to decorate!" Cole's excited voice rings through the air like a birdsong, chirping on and on about the many things they have been doing to prepare for the ball. This being one of the main reasons for his return to Avonlea, of course him missing Anne had played a big part as well.

Cole continues on about the different decorations. Gilbert and Diana listening intently to everything the tall ginger was saying.

"Aunt Josephine is having cherry and magnolia trees imported from Europe just for the occasion. We aren't sending out formal invitations, for they will come by word of mouth to all those whom we hope will attend. Though, just because formal invitations are not being sent out does not mean that it isn't a formal affair. We just figured the lack of invitations would lower the risk of Anne finding out too early, and those who we don't want to attend wouldn't hear of it. Since it is a formal affair, you may bring dates." With that comment he looks straight at Gilbert, hinting at what they were both thinking of. "Just be sure they are welcome before mentioning."

"Is there a list?" Asks Diana, eager to know more about the secret affair for her dear bosom friend.

"Yes." Cole takes out a piece of paper and hands it to Diana.

Anne Shirley-Cuthbert

Cole Mackenzie

Gilbert Blythe

Diana Barry

Ruby Gillis

Jane Andrews

Moody Spurgeon

Charlie Sloane

Minnie May Barry

Jerry Baynard

Billy Andrews *

Tillie Boulter

Josie Pye *

Any one else of whom is in relation to those listed above, or friends with Anne.

Those with a star beside their name's will be invited if to Anne's liking.

Diana skims the list and she smiles.

"So many people coming together to celebrate Anne's birthday. How fantastical!" She beams with pride in remembering the word her bosom friend uses on many occasions.

"Of course many other adults and friends of Aunt Josephine's are invited as well, many of the people from her last soiree will be there so Anne can see some of her inspirations in person again."

"Oh that's so amazing Cole! I'm sure Anne will be thrilled to hear of this. We should tell her immediately!" Diana exclaims getting up quickly and moving to go and talk to her friend.

Gilbert coughs.

"Er- Diana?"

Diana turns around and looks at a blushing Gilbert Blythe.

"Yes, Gilbert?"

He freezes.

Cole watches the whole affair with his knowing smirk once again plastered on his face.

"Is there any way that I could -uh- you know... tell Anne? I would like to -er- ask her to the -to her- ball...." He trails off, looking up to Diana who had the same knowing smile on her face. Cole taks note of her expression, realizing that she too was wanting the two friends to be together.

"Absolutely, Gilbert!" she says through her smile.

Gilbert and Cole stand up, the group making their way over to where Anne was sitting amongst the bright wildflowers, the autumn wind blowing though her fiery hair, tousling it about her shoulders.

She looks up at them with a wistful smile on her face, then turns her head back toward the horizon, waiting in anticipation for the sun to disappear behind it. But that wouldn't happen for awhile.

Gilbert's POV

Gilbert takes a deep breath and steps forward, closer to Anne. He offers her his hand and she looks up at him, slight confusion crossing her features as she furrows her eyebrows.

"Would you like to -um- accompany me through the uh- through the meadow? Gilbert stutters out, immediately expecting Anne's rejection.

He looks down to see Anne blushing a light shade of pink and watches as she raises her dainty hand up to take his. She stands up and with a smile finally replies in her sweet sing-song voice.

"Of course. I can show you all my favorite spots!" She turns towards Diana and Cole to invite them too, but the pair are already walking back towards the picnic blankets, excited whispers travelling with the wind.

Anne starts walking, but feels a tug at her wrist. She looks down to realize she is still holding Gilbert's hand and blushes again.

Gilbert, watching in amusement, realizes they should probably start their walk so he can ask her to her ball and make it back here in time to watch the sunset with their other friends.

Anne starts walking again, and this time Gilbert follows, keenly aware of their intertwined hands. They walk in silence for a while, the only sound being the wind blowing the flowers and the songs of the birds echoing through the trees.

Anne interrupts the silence.

"Beautiful evening isn't it?"

"Yes, it's beautiful" Gilbert pauses for a second, then whispers something so low that it was lost in the wind, "but not as beautiful as you...." He looks up, expecting Anne to have heard him. She didn't.

"The way the flowers dance in the wind makes me want to blow with them...." She trails off as she lets go of his hand. He watches with complete adoration as she makes her way away from him and begins to twirl around with the flowers while moving her arms in a kind of conductor fashion, as if she is conducting the birds in their sweet symphony.

As Gilbert stares at Anne only one thought crosses his mind.

One day she will dance with me like that, and smile at me with that wistful smile that makes my heart burst with joy and love . One day she'll be mine, and I'll see that wedding picture on the wall in the home we'll share in real life too. I'll make all of my daydreams a reality.

It's that thought that spurs him into action. He had been so caught up in the moments before, walking with Anne, holding hands, that he had momentarily forgotten about his task at hand.

He was going to ask Anne to her birthday masquerade ball.

"Um- An-Anne, I have something to ask you..."

He trails off, waiting for her to turn around. Slowly she puts her arms to her sides and turns towards him, the same whimsical smile still painted on her face, her expression brighter than the evening sun.

"Yes, Gilbert?"

"Would you like to accompany me to the ball that Aunt Josephine and Cole are throwing for you, as a kind of early birthday present?...."

He trails off again, studying Anne's face as she processed the newly disclosed information. She looks up at him with her eyes glistening with tears he could only hope were caused by joy.

"Aunt Josephine and Cole are planning a b-ball, for m-m-me?

"Yeah!" Gilbert replies with borderline fake enthusiasm. Inside he wasn't so joyous. Anne had completely disregarded his question.

"Oh I must go thank Cole!"

Gilbert watches as Anne runs off into the distance, approaching the blanket where Cole is sitting with Diana. He sees her tiny figure crush him with a hug, and the both fall back onto the blanket. He hears Diana and Cole laughing as Anne squeals with delight at this news.

Gilbert walks back slowly, not eager to go back to the small group and interrupt their joyous mood.

Why did I have to do that? Of course she wouldn't want to go with me, she probably wants to go with Cole. After all, he is the one planning this whole celebration. I shouldn't have-

Anne's voice wrenches him from his thoughts.

"Oh and Gilbert, to answer your question..."

She trails off, her eyes meeting his. Something passes between the two of them.

"I will have to ask Marilla about it, I might also go with Jerry, as he doesn't know many of my friends from school."

With that sentence Gilbert gains composure and his mind is overcome with so many thoughts and emotions.

Anger at the little French boy who might be the one accompanying his Anne to her special celebration.

Happiness at the fact that she didn't decline.

Sadness that she didn't say yes either.

Hope that Marilla will tell her she can go with him.

The usual feeling of love and adoration still wrap around his heart, as those feelings would never fade.

At the mention of Jerry's name Diana's expression changes as well. She blushes profusely and politely excuses herself to go to the bathroom.

"Of course, Anne. Just let me know as soon as you've decided." Gilbert says with a small smile, his negative emotions trying to turn it to a frown, but he pushes those thoughts away and basks in the happiness radiating off Anne letting his smile sit on his face for the time being.

Anne turns to look at Cole, so Gilbert lets the smile drift off his face.

"So is there a list of people invited? Oh, I do miss the girl who thought my pixie cut was cute, and so many other new friends I made at the previous soiree's Aunt Josephine has held.

"Yeah we made one, you can look at it and tell us what you think."

Cole hands Anne the list, and she skims it over.

"I see Josie Pye and Billy Andrews are only being invited if I agree to it."

Cole nods and she continues.

"I know that even though me inviting them is not a good decision, everything will be so much worse for me if I don't. So they may attend."

Cole nods and takes a pencil out of his pocket and erases the stars beside their two names.

"So what's the theme?" Anne asks giddily, the child-like smile returning to her face.

"Well..." Cole begins, a smile forming on his face as well, "we decided to make it autumn themed, after your favorite season, but-"

Anne tackles him in a hug before he can continue. Finally she releases him from her grip and they sit up, regaining composure. Anne waiting eagerly for Cole to continue.

"As I was saying," Cole drawls out 'saying' as he stares at Anne who smirks back, "the ball's theme is autumn, but we're also adding touches of spring to it, as it's your birth season."

"Oh how divine!" Anne remarks.

"Indeed. We are going to make you a special crown to place atop your head during the ball, and importing cherry and magnolia trees from Europe!"

Cole's POV

Anne's squeals of delight fill the air as Cole continues to explain all of the other ways they are going to be decorating for the ball, but of course he leaves out many details-- can't spoil the whole surprise.

He smiles and leans back on his arms to signify that he's done speaking.

Diana's figure rounds Green Gables as she makes her way back to the trio, her blush gone and her face freshened up. She sits down on the right side of the picnic blanket next to Anne. Cole looks upwards to see Gilbert still standing, staring off into space.

He had done exactly what everyone had wished he would. He had asked Anne to the ball, now whatever would happen was all up to Anne, though Cole knew exactly what she would say.

Anne gasps and looks up. Cole follows her gaze and watches as the sun turns to a beautiful red color, mimicking the bright strands of Anne's fiery red hair as she sits in front of him. The oranges and reds dance in the wind as the girl stares at the beautiful sunset with her mouth slightly agape.

'Anne doesn't realize how absolutely divine her hair truly is'.

Cole moves his gaze over to Gilbert, who is taking in the scene before him as well. Not so much the sunset, but of Anne ranting on about how 'scrumptious' and 'romantical' and 'divine' the evening was turning out to be, all thanks to the blushing red beauty in the sky that's drifting down below the horizon as they speak.

After they see the last bit of purpley-red fade into a dark blue of the night sky they pack up their picnic stuff and head back towards the house.

Gilbert and Diana say their goodbyes and trudge towards the gate, leaving Anne and Cole in front of the house smiling and waving at their friends retreating figures.

"I have to go find Jerry before he leaves and tell him about the ball. He will be so thrilled when he finds out he's been invited to such an elaborate and important occasion!"

With that Cole watches Anne run off towards the barn to meet the lovable French boy she so often talks about, and of whom Cole had grown to love like a brother.

Anne's POV

The grass tickles her feet as she moves towards the barn, the cool wind blowing through her hair as she races in hopes of having caught the adorable brown haired boy before he made his way home for the night.

With a sigh of relief she notices his small figure putting away barn supplies in the loft. She quickly climbs the ladder and runs over to him, embracing him with happy giggles.

"Good to see you too, Anne" Jerry laughs as he moves to return her embrace.

"Jerry I have such important news to share with you!" Anne manages to get out, catching her breath.

"Yes?" Jerry asks, confusion crossing his features as he awaits the redheads important news she ran all the way over to share.

"Cole and Aunt Josephine are planning an Autumn and Spring themed masquerade ball as an early birthday present for me, and I was wondering if you would like to attend, It's this Saturday. Gilbert asked me already, but I told him I may or may not go with him depending on if Marilla says it's okay or if I want to take you because you don't know many of the people who will also be there." Anne speaks fast and then takes a deep breath, looking at Jerry.

"I- oh- I would love to go Anne...." Jerry says, smiling. "But, I don't- I - uh - I don't have anything nice to wear...."

Anne frowns, before her features light up again. Beaming she looks at Jerry

"Oh but I can fix that! I'm sure Marilla could make you a nice outfit if I asked, and told her the occasion and why it is so important!"

Jerry smiles, and embraces Anne once again.

"Merci, Anne! But I will have to talk to my mother and make sure my siblings will be taken care of on Saturday. I'll get back to you tomorrow! Au revoir!" With that he disappears down the ladder and Anne hears the barn door open once again, signalling his exit.

With another happy squeal she too makes her way down the ladder, and trudges back towards the porch, where Cole still sits waiting for her.

Marilla calls to them once she reaches the steps.

"You two need to come inside before you catch your deaths! I won't hear a word about feeling too sick for school tomorrow!"

They share a look and make their way inside, up the stairs, and get ready for bed.

Anne whispers 'goodnight' to Cole before blowing out the candle on the nightstand and crawling into the bed. Cole kisses her forehead lightly before closing his eyes, his deep breathing soon fills Anne's ears as she lays awake, looking up to the ceiling.

Today has been a romantical day. Do I want to go to the ball- my ball- with Gilbert? Or do I want to go with Jerry? Will Marilla even let me attend the ball with Gilbert? I mustn't forget to ask her about the outfit Jerry will need, but I'm sure she'll have no problem with making it, boys -especially Jerry- aren't usually picky on what they wear.

Her brain continues to swarm with thoughts, but eventually her breathing deepens and she drifts off into a sleep filled with beautiful Princess Cordelia slaying dragons in mystical forests, and handsome princes sweeping her off her feet as they ride into the sunset.

Anne stirs in her sleep as she unconsciously realizes that all the handsome princes bear some resemblance to the boy who had asked her to her birthday ball just a few hours before.

\------

Cole's POV

The sunlight and wind bear down on them as they walk to school on the beautiful Wednesday morning. Him, Anne, and Diana making their way across the field the surrounds the schoolhouse. The other children filter into the door as well, everyone is filled with joy at the news of Anne's party, which had spread quickly as Diana had told everyone the evening before after she dismissed herself to "go to the bathroom".

The steps creak as the girls follow Cole, opening the door for them with a bow.

"Ladies first" Cole says in a mock British accent.

"Of course my good sir" Anne replies in a better British accent as she walks in, her head held higher and her back straighter, before everything changes as she bursts into a fit of laughter.

"What a proper lady you are!" Cole says with a smirk before his laughs fill the air.

They take off their coats and hats before making their way into the classroom.

The room is abuzz with chatter, everyone speaking of the excitement for Anne's party.

"Anne's party is going to be amazing!"

"Best news I've heard all week!"

"Can't wait to see how Anne transforms into the Autumn princess at her birthday!"

"Anne better not ruin this for me!"

The last comment comes from none other than Josie Pye, she turns to Anne with a smirk. Luckily, Cole notices that Anne wasn't paying attention to her at all, and was too caught up in her conversation with Ruby, Diana, Tillie, and Jane to even notice Josie's unkind words.

I'll have to keep a close eye on her at the ball. Cole thinks as he makes his way over to the boys side of the room.

He looks over to Gilbert having a heated discussion with Charlie Sloane. Cole slowly inches forward to try and eavesdrop on their conversation. He realizes instantly what's causing all the fuss.

"I want to ask Anne to the dance." Charlie had admitted, facing Gilbert with a serious expression.

"I already asked her, Charlie." Gilbert replies, evidently annoyed.

"Did she say yes?" Charlie asks, raising an eyebrow at the curly haired boy.

"She- uh-" Charlie raises his eyebrow even higher as Gilbert tries to find the words to say. "She said she would have to ask Marilla."

Cole smirks, noticing that he purposefully left off the fact that not only did Anne say she would have to ask Marilla, but also might attend with Jerry.

"So what you're telling me is," Charlie replies, his voice smooth as butter with a smirk playing about his lips, "is that she didn't say yes or no but said that she has to ask Marilla and would have to think about it?"

"Um- uh- y-yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying...." Gilbert trails off and his gaze hardens.

"Okay." Cole watches as Charlie, with a smile, walks over towards Anne's group and taps her lightly on the shoulder. Cole crosses the aisle towards Anne's group of friends. Watching the scene unfold.

Anne's face is still holding her smile as she turns towards Charlie Sloane, visibly surprised that he had approached her.

Charlie blushes as he stares at her.

"Hi, Charlie!" Anne says before moving to turn away, back to her group of friends who were now staring at the pair silently.

"Um- Anne" Charlie touches her again, this time his fingers grazing her arm. Anne stiffens at his touch, but her smile widens. "Would you like to go to your ball with me?" Charlie emphasizes the word 'your' as if showing Anne that he knows the ball is to be all about her and would treat her with utmost kindness and luxury if she were to accompany him. The girls behind Anne gasp, eyes darting between the two friends standing in front of them.

"Why Charlie I would love to!" Anne says excitedly "But I'm afraid I will have to think your offer over, Gilbert has asked me as well."

The two of them, including Cole, glance over to the aforementioned boy who is standing right across the aisle not hiding his interest in the conversation between the two nor his annoyance at the other dark haired boy as he stares daggers at him.

Charlie turns back to Anne with a buoyant expression on his face, his smile wide and radiant.

"Of course, my lady." He stresses 'my lady' trying ever so hard to act like a proper gentleman in front of Anne.

Anne erupts in giggles as Charlie bows and turns around, walking back to where Gilbert is standing. Charlie's look is so smug that Cole is expecting Gilbert to do more than just continue staring daggers at him.

Gilbert's POV

Charlie thinks he's so sly. Asking my Anne to her ball after I already asked her.

Her maybe is basically a yes, right? She'll go to the ball with me instead of Charlie, right?

Gilbert feels a sudden surge of anger.

He better wipe that smug smile off his face before I wipe it off for him.

Suddenly as Charlie approaches Gilbert feels rooted to his spot. Charlie's voice travels over the distance, and he stiffens.

"Got some competition don't you, Blythe."

Competition? What does he mean by 'competition'? Anne couldn't possibly like him, right? Can't she tell I'm in love with her? There is nothing I want more in this whole world than to hold her in my arms as we watch the sun fall below the horizon, my hands stroking through her fiery hair as I tell her that her hair puts the sunset to shame. How can she not see that?

Gilbert looks towards the ground.

He doesn't notice the ocean blue eyes that stare right past a beaming Charlie who was radiating happiness at her maybe.

He doesn't notice her eyes on him.

He doesn't know that the certain red-headed girl had already talked to Marilla and made up her mind on who she would attend her birthday ball with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I am so absolutely ecstatic at the amount of reads this story has! I appreciate all of you readers so much and I can't even describe how happy those of you that have commented make me. I uploaded this story because I just wanted to share my love for Anne With An E because it is truly a great show with amazing messages and now I have so much motivation to post these chapters for you guys.  
> Do you think Anne will tell Gilbert? Will something go wrong? Comment thoughts belowwwww  
> xoxoxoxoxo Julia  
> Ps. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I'll edit those later don't worry <3


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before Anne's Ball.

Anne's POV

As hard as Anne tries to pay attention to Miss Stacey's lessons in class she just can't.

It's too hard to concentrate on the teacher's words when she feels a certain pair of eyes on her. She can feel them, boring into her. Every time she looks up she can see them in her peripheral vision. The dark iris' don't adorn the handsome face of Gilbert Blythe. They sit upon the cute but child-like face of none other than Charlie Sloane. 

Gilbert hasn't so much as glanced at her all day. As far as Anne can tell he's been ignoring Cole too, never once looking down as Cole continually scratches something onto his slate and slides it over. 

Gilbert's eyes never leave Charlie. He stares at him with so much fervor that Anne wonders what's going on. He's never gotten angry with Charlie-- at least, not to Anne's knowledge.

'Charlie is so easygoing, just like Moody. A little bit on the childish side, but sweet nevertheless. He was even sweet enough to act like a gentleman in front of me as he asked me to my own ba-'

Anne stops thinking, her brain abuzz as it slowly clicked why Gilbert was mad at Charlie.

Gilbert is cross with Charlie because he wants to go to the ball with me. 

Anne blushes slightly. She has never had two boys fawning over her, let alone two boys as handsome and gentleman-like as Charlie Sloane and Gilbert Blythe. She turns to look at the two boys of them.

She meets Charlie's eyes and watches as his smile widens, Anne smiles too. She turns her head to look at Gilbert, his eyes still fixed on Charlie, his usually happy face contorted into one of anger, his mouth set in the same scowl that had been painted there all day. 

'I must talk to him at lunch.' Anne thinks as she turns her attention back towards Miss Stacey as she makes a few important announcements.

"As I'm sure you have all heard by now, Anne is having a party this weekend. I'm afraid that means that we will have to decide on when we will make the geometry projects due."

The students begin to talk quietly to their desk partner, evidently about the project they had been assigned the day before and how much work was left to be done.

"I trust that you have already started, and some of my more -diligent students-," She pauses a second and glances at Gilbert and Cole, before moving her gaze to Anne and Diana, all of them wearing a proud smile on their face (except for Gilbert whose full attention was being given to the back of Charlie's head). "have already turned it in. Congratulations to the four of you, as you have been chosen to pick when the project will be due. Talk amongst yourselves."

Diana turns to Anne, "Alright, when should we make the project due?"

Anne furrows her eyebrows, trying to find a practical date that wouldn't make the classroom hate them, as she had just gained all their favor. 

"What about next Tuesday?"

Diana smiles.

"Oh Anne, you always seem to know how to do everything. Tuesday sounds like a great day, as it would give everyone the rest of the week, then they can have the weekend for your party, and then Monday to finish everything off!"

They look to Cole, who had obviously not been talking to Gilbert, and see him nodding in approval.

The two girls both stand up and walk to the front of the classroom to tell Miss Stacey. 

Diana lets Anne do all of the talking, as she is so much more articulate and knows how to form the most eloquent sentences even in the simplest situations.

"Miss Stacey, we have decided that this Tuesday will be a fine day to turn in the project. It would give everyone the rest of the week and then Monday to finish it."

Miss Stacey smiles, "Very well. Class listen up! The project will be due this Tuesday. You best thank Anne, Diana, Cole, and Gilbert for turning in their projects early because if they hadn't the day I had chosen was Friday."

Whoops are heard throughout the classroom, the student's evidently happy that the project work time had been extended. 

"Finally that wretched girl does something right." Josie Pye remarks to Ruby as Anne sits down in her seat.

Anne turns around to face her, trying her best to refrain from hitting the blonde girl with her slate. She smiles as nice of a smile as she can muster and addresses the girl.

"Why thank you, Josie! I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me!" 

With a huff Josie Pye smooths her skirt and Anne turns around smiling smugly... almost as smug as Charlie had earlier.

"You may be dismissed for lunch."

With that the students all shuffle out of the classroom, eager to get fresh air. 

It's a sunny day and the group of friends decided to sit outside behind the schoolhouse in the beautiful field of flowers. Anne tells Diana she has to talk to Miss Stacey so they should all to go outside without her, and that she would be out in a few minutes. As the group of friends make their way out the door she turns to the last person left in the room- Gilbert Blythe. With a smile she makes her way across the aisle and over to his desk. He's still sitting there staring straight ahead, lost in thought.

"Hey, Gilbert?" Anne says slowly, waiting for the boy to acknowledge her. 

He doesn't, so she continues.

"So, um-- I've thought about your-- I've been thinking about um- well... to answer your question I- I would like to go to the ball with you. I was going to tell you this morning but then Charlie... a- and then you seemed so mad that I wanted to give you some space...."

The boy doesn't respond right away, so with slight disappointment Anne turns away.

'Maybe Gilbert doesn't want to go with me anymore. Why would he ever want to go with a plain, ugly, homely girl like me. My red hair won't look good in any nice hairstyle, and no special flower crown or fancy adornments could ever make me look any prettier. Maybe I should just-'

Anne's thoughts are interrupted by a hand grabbing her wrist. Gilbert was standing now, and he turns Anne around slowly. His eyes meet hers and her breath catches in her throat. His hazel eyes had returned to their sparkly state, and he was smiling down at her, a slight blush crosses Anne's cheeks when he doesn't let go of her wrist. 

"Anne, you have no idea how-"

A laugh sounds through the room as Josie Pye walks in. 

"Well would you look at that."

Josie Pye continues to laugh as she grabs the lunch basket she had forgotten inside. Gilbert lets go of Anne's wrist quickly. Anne's stomach plummets, her smile and blush disappear as quickly as they appeared. 

'Is he embarrassed?? Of course he is.....'

Anne turns around to leave. 

Anne doesn't notice Gilbert try to stop her.

She doesn't notice him try to grab her wrist again.

She doesn't notice Josie Pye step in-between them, she just hears her sickeningly sweet voice drift through the almost empty school house as she fights back the tears that are threatening to spill down her cheeks.

Josie's POV

Of course the wretched girl would try and steal Gilbert from Ruby. Poor Ruby hasn't noticed her friend stealing Gilbert, so it's time I intervene. 

Not because I like him of course. I just want to see Anne humiliated and give Ruby her well deserved chance. 

She laughs.

"Well would you look at that?"

She makes her way over to her desk, retrieving the basket she had forgotten.

She turns around, grasping its smooth, braided handle.

She notices the redhead turning away, her plaits swinging slightly as she walks quickly out of the schoolhouse, her grey dress ruffling as she does so.

'Good. Let her leave, Gilbert's too good for her anyways. Once I humiliate her Ruby will get her shot, of which she's been waiting so long for.'

Josie sees Gilbert trying to reach out for Anne, but she acts quick, stepping between them with a wide smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, Gilbert!" She asks cheerily, lacing her words with so much sweetness that she can barely stand her own voice. She pushes back the want to make a comment on his association with the orphan girl, biting her tongue as she forces herself to keep smiling, waiting for Gilbert to respond.

'I just have to stall him long enough for Anne to leave the schoolhouse and go into the field to have lunch with my pitiful ex-friends-- all of them pitiful except Ruby of course.'

Gilbert's POV

He hears Josie Pye's sickeningly sweet voice and he is instantly filled with loathing. 

He hates Josie Pye, and has hated her ever since she started bullying Anne and Cole.

'Who does she think she is? Doesn't she know that Anne is better than her in every possible way?'

He bites back the bitter words he so desperately wants to say as he watches Anne's figure leave the schoolhouse, her small hand turning the knob with a slight squeak, the door left wide open as she disappears down the stairs. 

Anne had left in a rush, probably crying silently. Gilbert would bet his life on it.

He takes a deep breath and manages a small smile at the blonde girl standing in front of him. 

"Josie." He says shortly.

"Beautiful weather we're having today, don't you think?"

She's stalling, Gilbert can tell. 

"Yeah, I guess..."

He turns and tries to take a step forward towards the door but Josie stops him, grabbing his wrist before he can get too far. 

"Do you think you could help me with my math?" She asks quickly.

Gilbert pauses, confusion spreading across his face as he turns back to face her.

Josie smirks, pleased to have gotten his attention, but quickly wipes the look off her face before he notices, elaborating on her previous statement, hoping he falls for it.

"I am struggling a little bit with the project and I was wondering if you could help me? After all, you are the smartest person in Avonlea!"

'What? She just wants help with the project??? I could've sworn she was wanting--'

Josie breaks him out of his thoughts.

"So? Are you going to help me or not?" She asks impatiently, tapping her foot.

"Um- I-- I guess I can help?" He replies, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

"Great! Can you do it after school today? Ruby has already done most of her part and I'm really wanting to finish before her! Thanks!" She smooths her skirt and makes her way out of the room quickly, not giving Gilbert any time to answer."

Gilbert sighs as he watches Josie Pye exit the room. 

'Guess I'll be staying after school today.'

With a deep breath he finally is able to make his way out of the room and go to sit with Cole and the girls in the field filled with stunning yellow and white flowers.

"Prince Cole, would you like another flower for your royal crown?" Anne's sweet voice carries over the short distance.

"Of course, Princess Anne, one can never have enough flowers on a royal flower crown."

Anne giggles as she weaves another white flower in with the others. The crown is complete when Gilbert reaches the group, he plops down on the grass beside Anne and watches as her slender, dainty fingers tie the flower crown off. She stands up, a gorgeous smile on her face. 

"Prince Cole, do you promise to rule fairly as king of the land, by my side as long as you live? True kindred spirits united under the realm of the fairies?"

Cole stands up and bows.

"Yes I do, dear Queen Cordelia."

She gets on her tiptoes and holds the crown above his head and slowly lowers it down until it adorns his red tinted hair. 

She curtsies before throwing one of her gorgeous smiles his way.

"Cole, I now pronounce you King of Enchantia."

The group of girls erupt in applause and giggles as the King and Queen of Enchantia join their hands and spin around in circles, twirling through the wildflowers.

Cole lets go of Anne's hands and quickly grabs her waist, picking her up, still twirling.

Anne's giggles and happy squeals drift through the air as they continue spinning around, Anne held up towards the heavens, her hair glinting wildly in the sun, her braids moving about her shoulders.

Out of breath, Cole puts Anne down and they stare at each other wearing their royal flower crowns, their expressions bright and carefree.

They break their eye contact and sit back down with the group.

"Gilbert?" Anne asks, glancing at the curly-haired boy.

Gilbert looks up and he meets Anne's gaze, he blushes lightly, hoping he can blame it on the chilly autumn air. 

"Yeah, Anne?" 

"Would you maybe want to walk me home after school today? We could discuss the ball." 

Gilbert's heart skips a beat. He's been waiting for eternity for Anne to let him walk home with her.

"Anne, I would be absolutely thrilled to walk home with yo-"

He pauses, remembering Josie asking him to help her after school with her project."

"Actually, I um- I can't do it today..." He trails off, Anne's smile fades slightly makes his breath catch in his throat. All he wants to do is make her happy and he always seems to fail.

"Okay." Anne says as she quickly averts her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm very sorry, Anne. I promised Josie Pye earlier that I would help her with her geometry project."

"Oh" Anne replies curtly, "Josie Pye?"

"Yeah...." 

"Okay. I guess I'll walk home with Diana today." Anne's smile returns to her freckled face as she looks towards her bosom friend."

Cole smiles.

"Anne, you seem to be forgetting that you also have me to walk with."

Anne lets out an airy laugh as she looks in Cole's direction.

"Oh, Cole! I almost forgot that you were back in Avonlea."

"I see" Cole replies, feigning hurt, "Already being forgotten. What happened to us ruling Enchantia side by side forever?" 

Gilbert sits silently as the two begin to "bicker" like siblings, feeling guilty for telling Josie he would help her.

Of course just my luck, the day Anne finally asks if I want to walk home with her Josie Pye has to find some way to ruin it. 

The group doesn't notice Gilbert's guilty expression as they pack up their lunch baskets, the girls' laughter drifting with the wind as they stand up, smoothing their skirts. 

Miss Stacey's voice carries over the field as she rings the lunch bell, signalling that lunch is over and that all the students need to return back inside to start their history lessons.

\---

The rest of school flies by fast for Gilbert, his thoughts are consumed by Anne's expression after he told her he was going to have to pass on the walk home because of a previous arrangement with Josie Pye. Of all people it just had to be Josie Pye that would come between Anne and him.

Gilbert is so consumed by his thoughts that he doesn't notice when Anne says goodbye.

He doesn't notice when everyone in his class, except Miss Stacey and Josie Pye, have left.

He doesn't notice it's the end of the day until he is jerked from his thoughts by a girl with long hair hanging down her purple dress in ringlet curls sitting down beside him, her slate hitting the table with a light 'clack', startling him.

"Good afternoon Gilbert, are you ready to start helping me?" She asks, her sickly sweet voice echoing in Gilbert's brain, making him feel sick. He pushes back the sick feeling in his stomach, and the other feeling that she's up to something, and blames it on his guilt for not being able to walk home with Anne. It never once crosses his mind that her exact intention was to try and push Gilbert and Anne away and keep them from spending time together. 

"Good afternoon Josie, yes I am ready to start. So show me what you're struggling with."

Josie Pye's POV

'Gilbert is buying my sham' She thinks to herself with pride as she sits next to the boy, his mop of curly hair falling in his face as he leans over his slate with his white chalk, helping her with a problem she was "struggling to solve". 

"Done." Gilbert states, placing his chalk down on the desk with a light 'clack'. 

Josie knows she could've solved the problem easily, but she is willing to suffer the humiliation of getting help because it meant he wasn't spending more time with Anne.

'Ugh. Anne.' Josie thinks, trying to hide the sneer that almost crosses her pink lips. 

'What does he see in that wretched girl anyways? She has no money, she's an ugly orphan, her red hair is absolutely hideous, she's very outspoken, has no idea how to act like a proper lady--'

Josie's list could've gone on and on, but she had to continue to "concentrate" on Gilbert's instructions on how he solved the problem she was having "trouble with". 

The project itself was easy and they were soon finished with Josie's portion, but the humiliation was worth it. By the time Josie copied down the last answer to the last problem she "struggled" with it was nearly 5 o'clock. School had ended almost an hour and a half before, Anne would have arrived home with Cole ages ago. 

Gilbert stands up and makes his way over to his hook, grabbing his hat, scarf, and coat before bidding Josie and Miss Stacey goodbye and exiting the schoolhouse, closing the door quietly. Josie gathered all her project work and placed it in her satchel, pleased to have taken so long to "understand" the problems. As she makes her way out the door and down the stairs of the schoolhouse she smiles a prideful smile, making her way down the little path through the field with an extra skip in her graceful walk. 

Josie relished in the fact that Gilbert wouldn't have been able to go home with Anne. He asks every day. And every single day Ruby has to watch her crush whom she's had feelings for for years stare hopefully at one of her friends, eyes pleading with Anne to say yes. Every day she watches Ruby fight back tears, trying to be happy for her friend. It makes Josie sick that Anne could have the boy she wants when she's so ugly and homely, knowing that Ruby still has feelings for him, the gorgeous girl having to accept the fact that Gilbert likes Anne, trying her very best not to interfere with her friends happiness.

No.

Josie would end all of that. She will make sure that Anne despises Gilbert for the rest of her life. 

She would have to make him do something so despicable that Anne would never want to associate with Gilbert Blythe ever again. 

A light-bulb seemed to light up over her head as she continued her walk home through the woods. 

Her plan was simple and only involved a few things.

A boy by the name of Gilbert Blythe.

A girl by the name of Anne Shirley. (Josie refused to add the 'Cuthbert' portion of Anne's name as she would always be the ugly, wretched, orphan girl who could never possibly be loved by anyone.)

And a simple addition to Anne's birthday party surprise.

Josie smiles an evil smile as she continues to skip all the way home to her superficial family and lavish lifestyle. Her gorgeous eggshell white mansion sitting in the far east side of Avonlea, where all the other rich families live, excluding Diana. 

Anne's POV

Anne, Cole, and Diana sit in the field outside Green Gables, Diana having been invited to stay for dinner, her parents being at a party that evening anyways said it was fine for Diana to stay. 

The whole walk home all Anne could think about was Gilbert staying after school with Josie Pye.

The thought still irks her as she sits with her friends, her fingers absentmindedly picking the lush grass, a few drops of dew dripping down the stems, light green stains coating her fair-skinned fingers. 

Of all the days Anne could have picked to ask Gilbert to walk home with her she had to pick the day that Gilbert had prior arrangements. And of all the people that Gilbert could've had prior arrangements with it just had to be Josie Pye.

Anne becomes angry- actually, angry is an understatement. Anne is incensed, rage coursing through her veins as she begins to cry bitter tears, the little bits of salty water falling down her freckled cheeks and nose as she begins to pick the grass in fistfuls, wrenching them out of the ground quickly, desperate to take her anger out on something. 

"Anne? Anne! Stop, what's wrong?!" Diana asks as she grabs her friends hands and looks at her with her dark eyebrows knit in confusion, concern written all over her face. 

"What if he didn't want to walk home with me?!" Anne cries out before covering her mouth, embarrassed to have spoken. Cole looks at her quizzically. Anne senses her friends' confusion and with a deep sigh continues, her thoughts flowing smoothly out of her mouth.

"What if Gilbert Blythe didn't want to walk home with me, so he made up the story about having a prior arrangement with Josie? What if he didn't want to ask me to the ball at all, but was trying to get Josie to notice him? What if Gilbert is just using me to-"

Cole interrupts her with a frown.

"Anne, Gilbert likes you, everybody can tell. Why do you think Ruby hasn't cried because you've been talking to him? You two are the only ones who can't tell that there's chemistry. I can't believe that-"

Anne interrupts him with a huff, the tears stopped, as if somewhere in her mind she had flicked the switch and went from angry and sad to angry and frustrated.

"I do not like Gilbert Blythe, and there is not any "chemistry" between us. He asked me to my birthday ball as friends and-"

This time Diana interjects.

"Did he say specifically that it was as friends?" Diana asks, a smirk evident on her lips.

Cole opens his mouth to respond but Anne beats him to it.

"He didn't, but-"

"So what you're saying is," Cole begins, raising his eyebrow at Anne, "Gilbert didn't say he asked you as friends."

"Yes, but-" 

Cole laughs, and Diana does too. Anne is as oblivious as ever to how much Gilbert truly likes her and the both of them could tell. 

Anne huffs again.

"I'm serious. We're going as friends."

"If you say so." The two friends reply in sync, through their fit of laughter. 

\----

The rest of the week moves quickly, the excitement for Anne's birthday ball making every second seem to tick faster. When Friday rolls around the schoolhouse is once again abuzz with chatter about who will be in attendance, the gifts they got for Anne, and who will dance with who.

Anne sits at her desk, talking animatedly with Diana and Cole, practically bursting with excitement that her party was tomorrow.

"I just can't wait to see the decorations, and be able to see Aunt Josephine again! Oh how positively fantastical it is to think that Aunt Josephine and you" She looks at Cole, "have planned a ball--a whole celebration is devoted solely to me. I've never felt so special in my whole life!" 

Anne loves surprises, so the fact that there was still so much to discover about this mysterious masquerade ball that was for her 16th birthday has set her brain whirring with so many perfect scenarios of how the romantical night could play out.

"What if I dance with the boy I'm destined to wed. Oh how romantical that would be...."

Anne trails off as she spaces out, getting lost in a daydream where she meets a handsome prince at her birthday ball and dances the night away in his arms, before they ride off into the sunset to be wed. 

When Anne zones back in her eyes focus on a smirking Cole. 

"Daydreaming about Gilbert Blythe are we? Oh how romantical-" Cole emphasizes romantical before continuing "it would be if you were to dance with a boy who we all already know adores you and then marry him."

Anne scowls at Cole's comment, a look of disdain sweeping across her face, her usually bright eyes darkening.

"I was not daydreaming about Gilbert Blythe. I will not even be dancing with Gilbert at my party, we are simply going as friends." Anne puts much emphasis on 'not' and 'friends' because apparently no matter how many times she says it her friends will never understand that her and Gilbert are not going to her party as anything more than friends. 

Anne hears a cough behind her and whips around, ready to respond to anyone who wants to make another ridiculous comment about her and Gilbert. 

Her blue orbs meet a pair of familiar hazel ones as a certain Gilbert Blythe is standing right in front of her. 

"Um- Anne? Can we talk a minute?" Gilbert asks awkwardly.

A million thoughts and emotions course through Anne as she stares at the obviously nervous boy. Gilbert stares down at his feet, Anne immediately expects the worst.

'He probably wants to tell me that he's decided that making Josie jealous isn't worth it if he has to go to the ball with me, so he's going to back out now.'

'He changed his mind and doesn't want to go with the ugly, homely orphan who wears Diana's hand-me-downs to special events.'

"Yeah, sure Gilbert."

Gilbert walks towards the back of the room where an old chalkboard sits. There are two small wooden chairs right behind it, so Gilbert takes a seat closest to the dusty, unswept corner. 

"So, uh- I forgot to ask the other day, what time should I pick you up? I heard that the ball- your ball- starts at 6 o'clock and it's in Charlottetown so...."

Gilbert trails off, looking into Anne's eyes and completely loses his train of thought. Luckily Anne has already started talking.

"Can we take the 5 o'clock train?" Anne asks excitedly, thinking about how she could also travel with all of her other friends that way. 

"As long as we don't have to hop it."

Gilbert laughs at his own sly joke, and Anne does a dramatic sigh, but soon is caught up in the laughter as they both reminisce on the day Anne set off to save Miss Stacey and Gilbert to go find Bash. 

Gilbert stops laughing and looks back up at Anne. 

"So I should pick you up at 4 o'clock then? Are Marilla and Matthew coming? What about Jerry, how is he getting to the party?"

Anne smiles.

"4 o'clock is perfect, and sadly Marilla and Matthew will not be in attendance due to a checkup on Matthew's heart, they have to go to Alberta for the weekend so they won't be back till Sunday. Jerry is going to come with us, but him and I are staying at Aunt Josephine's along with Cole and Diana."

Gilbert's POV

Gilbert tenses at the mention that Jerry is going to the ball with them. He had mentioned Jerry to be polite, but hadn't really expected him to be travelling to Charlottetown with him and Anne. He loves the French boy, but couldn't help but feel jealous of his close relationship with Anne. Sure, he and Anne had become good friends after she finally forgave him, but Gilbert always feels like he will never get a relationship like the one Anne has with Cole and Jerry, and that thought deeply saddens him every time it crosses his mind. 

"Gilbert? Are you okay?" Anne's voice is laced with concern, her light eyebrows furrowed as she stares intently at him. 

"What? Oh! Yeah, I-I'm fine. Just lost in thought is all." Gilbert says while standing up, "We should probably get back to our seats, Miss Stacey should be here soon."

Right on cue Miss Stacey walks into the main area of the schoolhouse carrying a stack of papers.

"Settle down, class!" She says as she makes her way through the middle of the classroom towards the front, her gray trousers swinging with every step. She stops right beside her desk and gently sets down the stack of papers and claps her hands to silence the whispers. "Today I figured since you all won't be paying much attention to my lessons due to a certain upcoming event-" She glances toward Anne with a smile on her face before continuing, "we might as well do something fun!" 

She leans down, her brown bun moving slightly as she grabs the stack of papers she had just placed down, passing them out to the students who were excited to find out what the fun activity would be. 

"I was thinking of different fun activities that we could do that could last for most of the school day, and then I thought of a game I would play with my friends all the time as a school-girl. We're going to have a scavenger hunt!"

The class claps and a series of 'whoops' are heard around the room, the many students eager to begin the challenge.

Miss Stacey waits for everyone to quiet down before explaining how they will be grouped together.

"Now listen up everyone, you will all get to choose your groups, but there must be at least one person of the opposite sex in every group and you may not make fun of other groups and/or people for their scavenging abilities." She looks directly at Billy Andrews and Josie Pye as she says this, snickers being heard from both of them all the while. "Your groups must have between 4-6 people. If you all decide to mess around or bully others you will have to work by yourselves. I wish you good luck, you may now get into your groups."

The many students shuffle around the room. Gilbert immediately eyes Anne and makes his way over to her. 

Ruby's eyes go wide and she taps Anne on the shoulder.

"Anne. Gilbert's walking over here." She squeaks out. Anne turns around and comes face to face with the blushing boy.

"Anne, would you like to work with me?"

"Of course Gilbert."

She turns back to look at her group of friends, pointing at everyone and counting off.

"Cole, Gilbert, Diana, Ruby, Me. 5 people, good we make the cut."

The group walks over to Miss Stacey, and she writes down all of their names on another piece of paper.

Gilbert looks across the room to see Tillie, Jane, Josie, and Billy all standing together. His eyes continue to travel around the room and he assumes they'll have no competition whatsoever. His hazel iris' meet a pair of warm brown ones. Charlie is staring at him, his eyes holding a competitive glint. Gilbert panics, Charlie is standing alone, not in a group yet.

He flashes a smile before taking slow strides towards Gilbert's group.

Gilbert tries to quickly come up with something, anything, to inhibit Charlie from joining the group... but Charlie is quicker. He's behind Anne before Gilbert can think of an idea.

"Hey Anne? Can I join your group?"

Anne turns around beaming at him, her eyes sparkling under the light strewing in from the window. 

"Of course, Charlie!" Anne exclaims as she pulls him into the circle of friends, studying the list of items on the paper. She walks over to Miss Stacey and tells her that Charlie has now joined her group as well.

Once everyone had selected their groups they wait for Miss Stacey to explain the rules.

"You may spread out over Avonlea, but you are not to go past the Barry's lake. Houses are off limits, and if you don't complete this scavenger hunt paper then you will have it counted as a test grade and every missing finding will be 5 points docked off your score. You are dismissed to find your items. I suggest you take your lunches with you, as you don't know when you're going to finish. The first group to report back to me with all the items on the list will receive a bonus of ten points on the next test. "

The students gleefully rush out of the schoolhouse, eager to be the first group to finish. Anne squeals with delight as she rushes to grab Ruby and Diana's hands and move out the door. Diana's laughter fills the air as she follows her red haired friend. 

Cole chuckles, rushing to catch up with the girls who were already out the door. This leaves just Charlie and Gilbert.

Gilbert stares stonily at him, not making a move to follow the rest of his group.

"Why do you so desperately want to go to Anne's ball with her?" Gilbert asks, irritated, but also with slight pride as he knows something that Charlie doesn't-- Anne chose him.

Charlie smiles, a smile that's almost as dreamy as Gilbert's. 

"Because she's so smart and pretty, her fiery personality is so unique and enthralling."

Gilbert smiles, he can relate to Charlie. Anne is everything he has always wanted and so much more, she's so different from all the other girls in Avonlea. She doesn't care about being lady-like or knowing what to do at parties in order to seem like a perfect child. She's authentic, and that's what Gilbert loves most about her.

"You know she already told me she was going to her ball with me, right?"

Charlie falters, but it's almost unnoticeable because soon his smug look returns to his tan face and he looks Gilbert straight in the eye.

"I hope she'll save me a dance then." With that Charlie leaves Gilbert in the schoolhouse standing open-mouthed as he walks out the door, something between rage and hurt crossing his face, his eyes flashing with hurt at his words. 

'Charlie was my best friend, and now it seems more like he's out to get me. He doesn't seem to care about our friendship anymore, he only wants Anne now, and he's determined to take her from me.'

With a sigh he makes his way across the wooden floorboards, turning the handle of the creaky door and steps outside, breathing in the cool autumn air.

"Sure took you long enough, Gilbert. Everyone else said it would be impolite not to wait for you, so don't think I wouldn't have left if it were up to me." Anne states, her eyes showing slight irritation as she waits for his response.

"Oh, yeah- uh, sorry. I was -um- talking to someone." He glances over at Charlie, who is pretending this was news to him.

"Okay, well if we aren't the first group to finish and we're beaten by dreadful Josie Pye this will all be your fault, Gilbert Blythe. Maybe you should-"

Cole interrupts her hastily, sparing Gilbert of what she was about to say.

"The first thing on the list is a blue and yellow item." Cole states looking towards Anne, "we could probably find a pretty cool rock or seashell that has the two colors we're looking for."

Anne glares at Gilbert once again before whipping around, her braids swinging about, and starts in the direction of the beach.

The group tromps through the open field, the cool wind blowing around them. Soon they see the thick stretch of sand, glittering under the autumn sun, the waves crashing against the shore creating a calming sound. 

Anne lets out a sigh of delight as she stares off into the horizon.

Gilbert doesn't miss the sea. He enjoyed exploring the far off lands that he had always dreamed of seeing, and he loves having Bash and Mary around, and he would've never met either of them if it weren't for him befriending Bash on the boat, but he since realized that he could never truly be happy if half of his heart was in a far-off country, and the constant paranoia that someone else had wooed her was overwhelming. 

The sun is high in the sky, sunlight glinting on the saltwater creating a large, glittering reflection of the infinite stretch of light blue. 

"Anne," Cole laughs, staring at the wonderstruck girl. "we should probably get a move on if we want to be the first group finished."

Anne turns to Cole and laughs an airy laugh before taking a few steps onto the sun-heated sand, eyes cast towards the ground in search of a seashell or rock with yellow and blue colors.

After a few minutes of searching Ruby screams at the top of her lungs. Gilbert's eyes immediately look up from the pile of sand he was searching through trying to find the small girl in distress. He spots Ruby near the water about 10 feet away, her gaze stuck on something in the water.

Gilbert runs over to see what she is staring at. There in front of her a small yellow and blue fish is swimming in the crashing waves. He lets out a laugh and turns to the blushing blonde girl standing next to him.

"Ruby, it's just a little fish. See." Gilbert cups his hands and scoops up the small fish, no bigger than his palm. "It has beautiful colors on it. See how the yellow and blue scales combine in some areas to make green?"

He moves his hands to give Ruby a closer look, the light pink blush still covering her cheeks. Gilbert had forgotten she still had feelings for him. He decides it best to create some distance between them so he takes a slight step back, still holding the fish.

Finally Ruby finds her voice again.

"We could use that fish for our yellow and blue item, Gilbert." She states shyly, her eyes downcast.

Gilbert looks down at the fish that's moving around in his hands. He would have to put it in water quick before it dies, so he asks Ruby to go fetch the empty milk bottle in his lunch basket. She dashes towards his lunch basket, not wanting the little fish she was originally scared of to die. 

When she returns Gilbert instructs her to fill the bottle up with saltwater, she does so and then hands it to him. Gilbert notices her blush deepen slightly when their hands brush while Ruby was handing him the bottle. Gilbert doesn't blush. Gilbert doesn't like Ruby. He doesn't feel the same jolt of electricity course through him when he touches her like when he comes in contact with Anne. He's 'so far gone' as Bash would put it.

Gilbert gently drops the fish into the water, and then puts the lid back on the bottle. 

"Found the thing we need. What's next?!" He shouts to the others, who hadn't noticed him and Ruby. 

Anne, Cole, and Diana come rushing over. 

"That's a gorgeous fish, good job Gilbe-"

"It was all Ruby, I just put it in the bottle."

Ruby nods shyly as Anne gives her an approving nod. 

Cole announces with a smile that the next item on the list is a white flower and Anne is overcome with delight as she knows exactly where the next item is to be found.

Gilbert suggests an idea.

"The field by the-"

But Anne races past all of them, her dress billowing in the wind.

"The white way of delight!" Anne calls to them, already having made up her mind that the white way of delight is where they would all be heading.

Charlie hurries behind her to Gilbert's dismay. 

'Charlie will not have my Anne.' He thinks to himself as he narrows his eyes, his feet moving quickly to catch up with the two of them.

He hears Cole chuckle behind him but pays him no mind, he has more important things to worry about- like the fact that Charlie is trying to woo his girl. 

After a long trek through the woods they finally reach the Avenue. Gilbert and Charlie were both silently fighting over Anne, desperately trying to be the one closest to her. Cole's laughter was the only sound that was made the whole way there as the hungry children walked through the woods, lunch baskets and a fish in hand.

Gilbert didn't want to describe this silent fight with Charlie to be closest to Anne as a 'low point' but if he was truly honest with himself, it was. Gilbert Blythe would fight Charlie for the redhead til the day he died, no matter how insignificant the circumstance. He made that quite clear. To Gilbert's dismay, Charlie had made it clear that he wasn't backing down either. 

Anne's loud gasp was enough to signify that they had arrived at the Avenue. She dropped her basket to the ground, it landing in a pile of leaves with a quiet crunch, before running straight for the gorgeous trees. She twirls around a few times and picks up a beautiful white blossom from off the ground. Gilbert stares, hypnotized by her beauty, his gaze transfixed on the gorgeous contrast between her fiery hair and the light colored flowers. Anne grabs a handful and puts them in her lunch basket, skipping back towards the group, the basket swinging beside her. 

"Got the flowers." She turns back around and blows a kiss towards the line of trees.

Gilbert didn't think he could go any lower, but at that moment he felt a slight twinge of jealousy towards the trees. The trees got kisses blown to them. Trees. He could barely manage to hug Anne, let alone get her to blow him a kiss. Everyone would be laughing at him if they knew what was crossing his mind. 

"Gilbert, are you coming?" Anne calls back to him, the group returning back to the woods to find the rest of the items on the list.

After walking through the woods picking up the rest of the items on the list Ruby, rather dramatically, plops down on a log, leaves crunching as she puts her basket down on the ground, pulling out her apple and jam sandwich. Anne sits down next to her, taking her and Cole's lunches out of her own basket before placing it on the ground. 

Charlie moves quick, but Cole moves quicker. The ginger is sitting next to Anne grabbing his food and eating, faster than Charlie could even take his first step. He smirks up at the brown haired boy as he takes a bite of his cheese, as if to say 'You better be quicker next time'. 

Charlie Sloane sits down on the ground in front of the two girls, looking up at them with his best puppy dog eyes. The two girls giggle as they continue to eat their lunches. Diana sits down next to Cole, and Gilbert -reluctantly- kneels down next to Charlie. 

The six friends all eat their lunches relatively quick, all of them focused on being the first group to finish the scavenger hunt. 

The girls finish first, grabbing their baskets, Anne's now full of all their scavenger hunt items, and start making their way towards the school. The boys quickly pack up their stuff as well, rushing to catch up to the girls. 

They hear the happy voices of classmates, another group, as they make their way back as well. 

"Come on, we have to get back!" The voice belongs to Billy. 

The whole group starts to run, determined to beat them there. 

They race through the rest of the woods, their breath becoming ragged as they reach the edge of the field, the flowers still swaying calmly in the breeze. They trample the grass and flowers as they dart towards the schoolhouse in the distance, the shouts of the group behind them becoming louder. They've been spotted. 

They're running too, Gilbert can tell. He can hear their rapid footsteps trampling down the flowers and grass a short distance behind them. Gilbert and Charlie glance at each other and Gilbert can tell the same thought has just passed through their minds.

They can run faster than the girls. One of them needs to grab the basket.

Charlie winks at Gilbert before propelling himself forward faster, he calls out to Anne.

"Anne! Give me your basket, I can run really fast and get the items to Miss Stacey."

Anne shouts back and slows down slightly so Charlie can grab the basket. Charlie grabs the wicker handle and sprints towards the schoolhouse and up to the stairs, his feet hitting the wooden steps with loud thumps, he wrenches the door open and runs into the building. 

Anne slows down, gasping for breath, her light pink lips forming a bright smile. Her feet hit the stairs silently, Diana and Ruby still close behind her. Cole goes up the stairs after Gilbert, and they all enter the building. The other group had already arrived, but they were still in second. Anne runs to Charlie immediately and gives him a hug, thanking him for taking the basket and helping them all win. 

Gilbert's heart stops at the sight. He wouldn't mind Anne hugging Charlie if it wasn't for Charlie's smug expression, his deep brown eyes meeting Gilbert's with a wink. 

Anne lets go of Charlie. Diana, Ruby, and Anne all hug, excited to have won. They go and sit in their seats, waiting for the rest of the class to return. The room erupts in groans as the other groups shuffle into the room, disappointed that they didn't come in first. 

The school day is almost over by the time the last group returns, so Miss Stacey dismisses the class early, wishing Anne an amazing ball, and the rest of the student's a good weekend, reminding them of the geometry project due on Tuesday. 

The room once again fills with chatter, everyone discussing Anne's party. Anne is still sitting with Ruby and Diana when Gilbert approaches her.

"Anne. I just want to wish you a great rest of the day, and tell you that I'm very grateful that you chose me to accompany you to your birthday ball." Gilbert bows, and flashes Anne one of his award winning smiles. Anne smiles back.

"Why thank you Gilbert! Tomorrow will be oh so romantical, I was hardly able to sleep last night, the fact that it's only one day away is just so exciting."

Cole laughs.

"I can vouch for that. She was tossing and turning all night, kept hitting me with her elbow." 

Jealousy floods Gilbert's veins for a split second before he remembers that Cole is gay and is staying with Anne because he missed her. Though it doesn't make him feel much better, at this rate he would never be able to win Anne over, and share that gorgeous room overlooking the White Way of Delight with her like in his dream. 

With a small smile he grabs his satchel from off his desk and makes his way out of the room and down the stairs, his mind whirring with different ways he could win the beautiful redhead as he walks the dirt path through the woods, the sun peeking through the barren trees, afternoon sunlight glinting against his dark curls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the reads and the kudos! I also want to say that for everyone that has commented y'all make my day. This chapter isn't as good as I wanted it to be, but it's more of a filler chapter with slight drama and a teensy bit of suspense. I hope you all enjoyed it.  
> xoxoxoxo  
> Julia


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of Anne's party

Anne's POV:

Her red hair sprawls out over her white pillow as the late morning sunlight streams in, striking her face and emphasizing the little brown dots that cover her beautiful features. Cole is still sprawled out beside her, his light snores heard next to her.

Her eyes flutter open, a deep sigh resonates through the room as she stares at the ceiling, the dream from the night before replaying in her wondrous mind.

Queen Cordelia is seated on her shiny golden throne, next to her illegitimate brother, Cole. The faces of the two royals are nothing short of ecstatic as they watch the people of their kingdom dance and twirl around to the music, the many gowns billowing as they move, the music from the orchestra sounding through the grand ballroom.

The golden windowsills glint under the light of the hundreds of crystal chandeliers. Cordelia's eyes are drawn to a certain magnificent item outside. Her smile broadens, and she turns to her brother.

"I would like a bit of fresh air, please excuse me for a moment."

Cole nods and stands up as well.

"I believe I will go and check the feast the cooks are preparing." 

Queen Cordelia laughs as she watches the ginger king saunter away toward the kitchen, knowing very well that "checking" the feast means he will be asking for ever so many tastes. The cooks are the very finest in all of Enchantia, and tonight they were preparing white soup with chicken, salmon, glazed carrots and sauteed green beans, salads, a delightful array of apples, grapes, and pears, buttermilk biscuits with cheeses and nuts. For dessert the guests would indulge in a sweet assortment of cakes, cookies, pies, ice-cream and sorbet.

She smiles at a guest, the woman looking apologetically at the young Queen as she wasn't dressed as elegantly as the many others. Cordelia approaches her.

"I absolutely adore the way you have done your hair, it suits you." Cordelia tells her, the smile never once leaving her lips. She could tell the woman felt uncomfortable in the elegant setting so she continued. "You are just as welcome here as everyone else no matter your clothes or social status. Go and enjoy the dancing, the cooks are at work preparing a delightful feast which should begin in the next few hours. Under my rule everyone is allowed to attend the balls and soirees that I hold, the class system is to be abolished. Have a blessed evening!"

With that the lady beams at Cordelia and her shoes click lightly against the elegant marble floor as she makes her way over to a group of other women that she must know.

Cordelia, pleased that she helped the young woman to feel more comfortable, takes graceful steps leading to the ballroom exit. The large wooden door dwarfs her small frame, the intricate gold plating of the door frame glittering, reflecting the chandelier light onto Cordelia's rosy cheeks. She turns the golden door handle and steps out into the courtyard of her castle home.

She enjoys the outdoors, it makes her feel more like a free spirit. When she wasn't on quests to defeat evil beasts or track down the source of a certain magic to help a person in her kingdom she often found herself sitting on the gray marble bench beside the magical waterfall in the courtyard garden.The pale moonlight strikes her deep auburn hair as she waltzes over to the little bench, the smooth marble cool under her fingertips as she runs her hand across it.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" She asks herself as she turns to face the waterfall, its rushing waters falling from nowhere, a gift from the fairies for her overthrow of the dreadful Queen Pye. 

"It is." A deep voice comes from somewhere behind her, Cordelia sucks in a breath as she whirls around, searching for her waistband that holds her dagger. 

But it is not there. She isn't on a quest, she's in her castle courtyard, she had no reason (before now) to defend herself. Her eyes dart around in the darkness, trying to spot something that she can defend herself with.

"Who are you." Cordelia's voice says with as much authority as she can muster. 

The deep voice laughs. 

"I am King Gray of Wisteria." The man before her bows, his dark curls glinting under the moonlight. He is tan and slim, his dimples present with his wide, boyish grin.

"You seem a little young to be a king." Cordelia states skeptically.

"You seem a little young to be a queen." Gray retorts, his grin widening.

"Touché" Cordelia responds with a laugh. 

She moves to sit down on the bench, turning her back to Gray as she watches the water fall from the heavens. She hears Gray sit down next to her but she doesn't turn to look at him, her gaze is fixed on the rapidly falling water, studying the way its bubbles pop and the mist rises lightly from it as it crashes down into the small pond.

She speaks, her light voice filled with so much wonder.

"When the fairies gifted this to me after I defeated Queen Pye they cast a spell on it, told me it would be of some significance when the time comes. I often sit out here, studying the waterfall to see if it will give me any kind of sign. I have exhausted every book in the grand library, and none of the fairies will disclose any information regarding the spell they cast. Nothing I have read has given me any inclination of when the waterfall is meant to do and when."

She continues to stare expectantly at the eternally falling mass of water.

"I don't know." The young king states. "Maybe you will just have to continue to be patient. I'm sure at some point the waterfall will do what it's been made to do, or else the fairies wouldn't have wasted their time or their magic creating the spell."

Cordelia moves her gaze to look at the king. This close to her she could point out every sharp detail of his face. The way his mouth moves when he speaks. The sharp cut of his jaw that could sharpen her dagger. The way his dark eyes sparkle under the pale moonlight. The curls that fall down over his forehead, unruly and wild like her soul. His voice is like a sweet melody, one that leaves the audience begging for an encore. 

He was a handsome man. Cordelia can't deny that.

She also couldn't deny the strange fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She stands up gracefully, her pale pink dress ruffling lightly, the moonlight reflecting off the sparkles.

Care for a walk around the courtyard, King Gray?" She asks with a smile offering her hand, hoping deep down that he will take it and walk with her.

"Of Course, Queen Cordelia." He replies with a smile as he takes her dainty hand, his lips brushing against her the smooth skin below her knuckles.

Cordelia sucks in a breath, her heart leaping as his lips brush her skin.

She chastises herself silently.

'You are the Queen of Enchantia, you shouldn't be acting like a little schoolgirl. This boy is a gentleman, of course he would kiss your offered hand, it's impolite to not do so.'

She flashes him a queenly smile before taking a few steps, her creme colored heels clicking softly against the gray stone.

She doesn't turn around to look at the waterfall as she usually would before leaving. She decides that she will have to be patient, the waterfall will do what it was enchanted to do when the time comes.

As her and King Gray make their way towards the gorgeous cherry blossom trees the waterfall flashes, sparkles swirling around it in a whirlwind of light. Two fairies emerge from the falling water, their wings glinting with fairy dust in the light of the moon, their green leaf blouses and bright yellow flower petal skirts blowing in the light breeze. They look towards the two young royals with knowing smiles on their faces. They had been summoned. It was time. They turn to face the enchanted waterfall, expectant looks on their faces.

The waterfall shimmers, turning a shade of red, for the blossom of true love. With a final glance back towards the retreating figures they disappear back into the sparkling whirlwind and the waterfall reverts back to its normal clear blue color.

As Anne replays the dream in her head she is overcome by a certain realization.

King Gray bore a strange resemblance to Gilbert Blythe. Her sleepy, wonderstruck smile fades slightly.

'I do NOT have feelings for Gilbert Blythe. Why is this silly boy showing up in my dreams? Even when I'm asleep I can't forget about his handsome face and boyish lopsided grin. How absolutely absurd! There is absolutely no possible way that this dream proves anything. I am right and Diana and Cole are wrong. I do not like Gilbert Blythe. We are going to my party as friends.'

A sudden wave comes over Anne.

"My party!" She screams joyously. Cole shoots up from beside her, falling off the bed.

"Ouch." He says as he stands up, rubbing his arm, "What was that for?!"

Anne laughs, rolling not-so-gracefully out of bed, spinning around the room until she trips over her feet and lands with a thud on the wooden floor, still laughing.

"I had forgotten all about how my party is tonight! I was too busy chastising myself for dreaming about Gilbert Bly-" She stops herself, her mouth forming an 'o' shape as she meets the eyes of a smirking Cole.

"Everyone already knows you have feelings for him, Anne. Why don't you just admit-"

Anne huffs. 

"I do not like Gilbert Blythe. That boy is a nuisance and impossible and absolutely infuriating."

Cole's eyes glint mischievously.

"If he's all those things then why did you say yes to accompanying him to your party?"

Anne opens her mouth to speak, but can't think of a response to his question.

'Why did I say yes to him?'

She huffs again, stomping towards the white door of their room, yanking open the door and walking quickly down the hallway. 

Her footsteps echo through the house as she makes her way down the stairs, stopping just at the bottom with a surprised look on her face. There in the kitchen having tea with Marilla is a certain Miss Jeannie holding a white box with a red ribbon tied around it. 

"Hello, Anne." Miss Jeannie says with a smile, standing up from her seat at the kitchen table, "I got a special letter from Josephine Barry and she instructed me to make a ballgown for a certain birthday girl. Would you happen to know where I can find her?"

Anne squeals with delight as she quickly closes the gap between them, her bare feet thudding against the floor. Miss Jeannie puts the box on the floor before enveloping a beaming Anne in a hug. They embrace for a few seconds before pulling apart, Anne eager to see what kind of dress is in the box.

"Okay, Anne. It's taken me months to complete this dress, so I really hope you love it as much as I do. I'm the only one who knows what it looks like, not even Josephine has seen it. Would you like to try it on?"

"Of course!" Anne holds out her arms to take the white box. 

"Will you need help putting it on?" 

"I don't think so. I'll call down if I need help."

"Anne do be careful with the dress!" Marilla calls after her.

"I will, Marilla!"

Anne skips giddily over to the steps and carefully ascends the stairs, not wanting to drop the box holding the gorgeous dress she has yet to lay her eyes upon.

Her bare feet touch the wood of the second floor and with another squeal she runs into her room- or more accurately into Cole.

They hit the ground with a thud, Anne landing on top of Cole, crushing her box.

"Oh no! The dress! It would be so dreadfully unfortunate if I ruined it already. Why am I so clumsy!?"

She gets off Cole quickly, frantically trying to untie the red ribbon to make sure the dress was still in mint condition.

Cole laughs, jerking Anne out of her spastic state.

"Anne, I'm sure the dress is just fine, you're acting like you were carrying Marilla's china."

Anne laughs too, picking up the box and walking through the doorway of her room. She sets it down on the bed before grabbing the smooth red ribbon, tugging it gently out of the bow. The ribbon slides off the box and onto the bed next to the box. 

Cole's voice carries down the hallway.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me!"

"Okay" Anne yells back before closing her eyes and grasping the smooth lid.

"One. Two. Three." She whispers under her breath before gently removing the lid. 

The smell of clean fabric hits her, a sweet of flowers, like the field around Green Gables. Anne takes a deep breath, basking in the aroma, before opening her eyes. A look of awe passing over her features, her bright smile appearing as she stares at the gorgeous gown folded in the white box.

She reaches a hand down, the smooth satin fabric cool against her fingertips. She traces the many ruffles before gently grasping the lace sleeves, lifting the dress up. She lays it on the bed, and smooths it out, wanting to get a better look at it.

The burgundy satin glinting under the sunlight like the deep red roses that Mr. Lynde sometimes brings home to his wife. The creme ribbon around the bodice contrasting beautifully, the gorgeous flounces adorning the bottom half, reminding her of the waterfall from her dream. She runs her index finger over the small creme silk flowers that embellish the v-neck of the dress. The burgundy sleeves are slightly puffed, lace falling over them.

She takes off her white nightgown, dropping it to the floor, eager to try on the gorgeous dress.

She slips it on and walks towards her mirror, twirling around, watching as the gown billows around her. With a content sigh she looks at herself. The way her messy red hair falls about the dress, how her pale skin glows against the dark, stunning fabric. The beautiful creme lace-up back with the thick creme ribbon.

To her surprise she doesn't feel like she's wearing a mask to cover herself. She doesn't feel like she's just an ugly orphan girl pretending to be loved. For the first time, she is at peace with herself. She doesn't furrow her eyebrows, criticizing her awful red hair, or the multitude of freckles adorning her face. She doesn't feel ugly.

With another wide smile she gracefully pads her way over to the bedroom door, taking one last glance at herself in the mirror.

She carefully walks down the hallway, picking up the beautiful dress off the ground so it doesn't get dirty or catch on any possible loose nails or floorboards. Anne doesn't know what she would do if the dress were to snag on something and tear. She doesn't trust herself to put it down.

She reaches the top of the steps and pretends like an important princess attending the royal ball. She clears her throat.

"Introducing Princess Co- I mean, Anne- of Green Gables."

She floats down the stairs with poise, chin held high and back straight, but the child-like grin still adorns her face.

Marilla and Miss Jeannie gasp as they walk towards the smiling girl.

"My goodness Anne, you look stunning in your dress!" Miss Jeannie exclaims before spinning Anne around to lace up the back. Marilla is beaming almost as much as Anne.

"Hold on just one second, Anne, I have a surprise for you. Let me go get Matthew." Marilla leaves the room quickly, opening the door and calling for Matthew, asking him to bring in Jerry who needs to try on the suit she had made for him so she can make the final adjustments.

She walks up the steps, her loud footsteps echoing through the house. Miss Jeannie smiles at Anne once more.

"I'm afraid I best be on my way, many more orders to fill before the end of the season. I do hope you have a delightful time at your masquerade ball. She gives Anne one last hug before making her way out the door.

Cole walks over to Anne, a boyish smile resting on his lips.

"You look absolutely stunning, Anne. And to think, you don't have anything other than the gown on. Imagine it with shoes, and your hair done, and jewelry, and--"

"Oh Cole, I don't have any of those things. What am I going to-"

"We have a solution to that." Jerry, Marilla, and Matthew are standing in the kitchen doorway, each holding a box in their hands.

Matthew nods to Jerry, urging the young man forward. He smiles awkwardly as he approaches Anne, holding the gift out for her to take.

"You look très belle in your dress, princess Anne. I saw this in the pawn shop and the owner was willing to make a deal with me."

Anne takes the box out of his hand and opens it. Atop a small pile of fabric sits a beautiful silver ring with an emerald in the middle. Anne looks up with a few tears in her eyes and smiles at the boy in front of her.

"Jerry? How did you afford this?"

Jerry laughs, blushing slightly.

"I just offered to clean up his store once a month, just fixing things that need to be fixed and doing the sweeping and dusting. Originally he drove a hard bargain, but once he learned it was a gift for the redhead girl who always comes up with the most intriguing stories for items she pawns off to him he was more than willing to compromise with me."

Anne wraps her french friend in a hug, breathing in the scent of hay that always lingers on his gray plaid, button up shirt. When they pull apart they're both grinning, Jerry steps back towards Matthew as Marilla takes the box out of Matthew's hand and steps towards Anne. 

"Happy early birthday, Anne." Marilla says with a smile, handing Anne the two boxes in her hands.

Anne sets them both on the table, and takes the lid off the box on top, the one that Matthew had been holding. Inside is a pearl necklace and a pearl bracelet to match. Anne smiles and runs to hug him, her thin arms wrapping around his torso. Matthew laughs, returning the embrace.

"Those were our mother's." Marilla says, staring at the young girl with adoration, it was no secret that Marilla truly did care for the spunky, effervescent redhead, she just pretended to be blasé and frustrated with her.

With another smile Anne returns to the kitchen table and takes the lid off the larger box. In the box sits a brand new pair of creme colored boots.

"I went to town a few weeks ago and saw them in the general store. I thought you would like them, and I had been informed of the ball a few months prior so I figured it would be a nice gift for you. I also would like to assure you that Matthew and I do love you enough to get you new shoes, so after this special event you may wear them to school, but please, be sure to keep them clean." 

Anne runs to embrace her, tears of joy falling down her cheeks.

"Oh thank you Marilla, I love them. I promise not a speck of dirt will adorn their lovely creme leather." Marilla pats her back awkwardly, not used to giving affectionate embraces. After a few moments of Anne's embrace she clears her throat. 

"That's quite enough of that, child." She states crisply as Anne pulls away. "It's nearly noon so you best go take off that fancy dress before you ruin it. After you have undressed please put the gown on your bed and come downstairs for lunch. " She turns to Jerry, "Jerry, after lunch I need you to try on the suit I have made you so I can see if it needs any alterations. Cole, I don't suppose you need any alterations to the suit Josephine gave you?"

Cole shakes his head.

"No Ma'am, Aunt Josephine made sure it fit well before I left."

"Very well then, off you all go."

Jerry leaves the kitchen with Matthew to go and gather up his things in the barn, and Cole offers to help Marilla with lunch while Anne carefully makes her way up the stairs to take off the gorgeous gown. 

\--

Anne returns downstairs after a few minutes, and walks into the kitchen. Jerry, Marilla, Matthew and Cole are all seated at the table eating jam sandwiches and apples. Anne takes her seat next to Cole and begins to eat her sandwich, the strawberry jam squishing out the sides of it and falling onto her plate. Marilla sighs before speaking.

"So Anne, Cole, as you know Matthew and I are leaving for Alberta today after lunch. I want you two to have fun at the masquerade ball, and make sure that you thank Josephine, Anne, for all the trouble she has gone to to make sure that you have a grand sixteenth birthday, okay?"

"Of course, Marilla. Aunt Josephine will get a million thank-you's from the bottom of my heart. I would love to recite a poem there too, dedicated to her. I've been trying to find one from my the poetry books Diana got for me last year."

"Very well, Anne, just make sure you don't forget. It's poor manners not to thank someone for something, especially something as big as an extravagant birthday party." 

Anne nods before turning to Cole.

"Cole?" Anne asks, her voice soft.

"Yes, Anne?" Cole responds putting down his apple core and turning to face her.

"So, um- after the party are you going to be staying with Aunt Josephine again? I presume you only came back to inform me of the party so I don't want to-"

Cole interrupts her.

"Marilla and Matthew have spoken to me about the subject, and we have come to the conclusion that it will be better for me to finish my studies here in Avonlea. I have friends, and of course I can help around Green Gables, and-"

Anne abruptly stands up from her seat and embraces Cole, almost knocking him off his chair 

"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert!" Marilla yells from across the table "sit down this instant! Cole, are you all right?"

Anne sits back down in her seat and Cole laughs.

"I'm fine, Marilla, I just wasn't expecting a hug."

There is light chatter as they all finish their lunches. After clearing away the dishes and putting them into the washbasin Marilla walks up the stairs to fetch the overnight bags her and Matthew had packed earlier in the day. She quickly has Jerry try on the suit, and confirms once again that it fits fine. She and Matthew bid the three children goodbye and leave them money for train tickets. Matthew harnesses Belle and they get into their cart and begin the quick ride to the train station. The three children wave goodbye from the field and bid them a safe trip. Anne watches as Jerry runs to close the gate, the tromps of Belle kicking up clouds of dust as they disappear into the woods.

"What time is it now, Cole?" Anne asks as Jerry runs back, his shaggy brown hair swaying with his rapid steps.

"I don't know, we should probably head back inside to check. Wouldn't want to lose track of time and miss the 5 o'clock train"

The three of them agree and walk back up the porch stairs, entering into the quiet house, making their way into the living room, plopping down on the brown patterned couch. The grandfather clock in the corner reads 1:15, meaning they have about 2 hours before they will need to begin getting dressed. Anne begins reciting poetry, standing up from the couch in order to be able to emphasize the meaning of the beautiful words that tumble out of her mouth.

I looked for that which is not, nor can be,  
And hope deferred made my heart sick in truth:  
But years must pass before a hope of youth  
Is resigned utterly.

I watched and waited with a steadfast will:  
And though the object seemed to flee away  
That I so longed for, ever day by day  
I watched and waited still.

Sometimes I said: This thing shall be no more;  
My expectation wearies and shall cease;  
I will resign it now and be at peace:  
Yet never gave it o'er.

Sometimes I said: It is an empty name  
I long for; to a name why should I give  
The peace of all the days I have to live  
Yet gave it all the same.

Alas, thou foolish one! alike unfit  
For healthy joy and salutary pain:  
Thou knowest the chase useless, and again  
Turnest to follow it.

"A Pause of Thought by Christina Rossetti" Anne concludes with a dramatic bow, her hand on her chest and an expression of pain on her face.

"Bravo! Bravo!" The two boys exclaim, hands clapping wildly, "Encore!"

Anne giggles again, standing in front of them, her right hand held against her hip as she looks to the ceiling, pointer finger by her mouth, pretending to consider their offer.

"Alright, alright, if you insist!" She announces, pretending that the two boys were a grand audience of people who had come to watch her.

She thinks for a moment, wracking her brain for a perfect poem to recite. She smiles.

"Nightingales by Robert Bridges"

Beautiful must be the mountains whence ye come,

And bright in the fruitful valleys the streams, wherefrom

Ye learn your song:

Where are those starry woods? O might I wander there,

Among the flowers, which in that heavenly air

Bloom the year long!

Nay, barren are those mountains and spent the streams:

Our song is the voice of desire, that haunts our dreams,

A throe of the heart,

Whose pining visions dim, forbidden hopes profound,

No dying cadence nor long sigh can sound,

For all our art.

Alone, aloud in the raptured ear of men

We pour our dark nocturnal secret; and then,

As night is withdrawn

From these sweet-springing meads and bursting boughs of May,

Dream, while the innumerable choir of day

Welcome the dawn.

"That poem was amazing, Anne!" Cole exclaims, standing up as he claps, "Which poem was that?"

Anne smiles, her eyes gleaming, "Nightingales by Robert Bridges"

"Anne! How do you memorize all of these poems? I can barely remember what I ate for lunch!" Jerry interjects, his voice dripping with humor.

The three voices mingling together as their laughter fills the room. Jerry stops laughing and yawns, the work from earlier in the day had tired him out, and all the laughing was using up the last of his energy.

Anne and Cole stop laughing and look at the brunette.

"Jerry?" Anne asks, looking at him, noticing how his eyes are drooping slightly. "Maybe you should take a nap. We still have about an hour and 45 minutes before we have to start dressing for my party, I can wake you up if you want."

Jerry smiles a sleepy smile, and whispers a low 'thank you' before resting his head atop the upholstered armrest, soon fast asleep.

Anne looks at Cole, "I think I might start reading. So many more poems to read in the delightful book Diana gave to me. "

Cole nods, his light red hair moving slightly against his forehead. 

"I was going to try drawing more pictures. I would like to practice some more, maybe if I try hard enough I'll be able to remaster it somehow."

Anne's sweet voice travels from the entryway, Anne walking over to the small book basket right outside the room.

"There is no plausible way that someone with as much talent as you could just lose their drawing abilities forever, Cole. Just keep trying and I promise that it will all come back to you. Maybe not as naturally, of course. but it will return. You just have to be patient."

Cole smiles, taking his sketchbook and charcoal off the small table beside him, opening it up to a to a blank sheet of paper. The paper makes a crinkling sound as he folds the other sheets behind it.

Anne's footsteps are light as she makes her way back around a sleeping Jerry to sit next to Cole. A dark green book hugged against her chest. She opens the book to where she left off the day before and removes the bookmark. 

Soon the only sounds throughout the house are Jerry's snores, the rustlings of Anne's book pages as she flips through them, relishing every word, and the scratching of Cole's charcoal as it moves against the paper.

The two children soon lose track of time, caught up in their own little worlds. Anne finishes the poetry book, setting it beside her. She gasps as her eyes drift up in the direction of the grandfather clock.

"Oh!" She exclaims, jumping up.

Jerry groans, his hair sticking up wildly as he lifts his head from its resting position.

"What's with the loud yelling?" Jerry asks, groggy and half asleep.

"It's already 3:30! We have to start getting ready. I should've known I would find some way to ruin this perfect day. I'll be the laughing stock of my own party. What if-"

Cole groans, interrupting the beginning of Anne's rant.

"What if you go upstairs and get ready right now instead of spending the next hour going on about how you've ruined your party? Come on, Jerry and I can help you get ready. Right Jerry?"

Jerry nods sleepily, his eyes blinking several times.

Anne runs up the stairs, her feet thumping against the dark wood. Her rapid footsteps loud as she runs down the hallway towards her room. She hears the footsteps of the boys following her, stopping outside of the door.

Anne quickly pulls off her grey dress, and picks up her gown gently from off the bed. The burgundy fabric is smooth against her skin as she pulls it over her plaits. A series of knocks sound through the room, Cole's muffled voice is heard through the door.

"Anne? Are you dressed?"

"Yes. Come on in, I need your help tying the back."

The doorknob turns and in walks Cole, Jerry following close behind. 

Cole strides over to Anne, reaching for the creme ribbon and tying it into an elegant bow, the silk ribbon falling against the dark dress. 

"Anne, Jerry and I need to get changed so if you could, -um-...." He trails off, trying to find the right words to say.

Anne blushes.

"Yes, of course. I'm going now. Just tell me when you're finished so you can help me with my hair."

The two boys nod before grabbing their neatly folded suits from off the dresser. The door shuts with a click and Anne stands in the hallway, too afraid to sit down in fear of getting her dress dirty or tearing it, holding it above the floor in anticipation of loose floorboards and nails. It would be just her luck that the moment she lets her dress down it catches on something and rips. 

She taps her boot and hums a tune as she stares at the light wall, watching the shadows move back and forth with the swaying trees.

After what seems like eternity the door opens and Cole sticks his head out,

"We're finished, Anne." He tells her, leaving the door open for her. She walks over, still holding her dress, her bare feet moving slowly across the wood and into her room.

'Jerry and Cole look so handsome in their suits' She thinks with a smile, beaming at the two boys all dressed up in front of her.

Cole walks over to Anne and begins to undo her plaits, letting her hair fall down about her shoulders. He grabs the boxes off the bed. The one containing the ring from Jerry, and the other containing the pearl necklace and bracelet. Anne slips the ring onto her right ring finger, fascinated by the emerald that gleams in the evening sunlight. Cole places the pearls around her neck, clasping the back. Anne holds her wrist up, and he place the bracelet carefully around her thin wrist, trying not to pinch her skin.

Anne plays with the pearls as Cole brushes her hair, trying to get an opinion out of Jerry, who had no idea how girls styled their hair for fancy events. It had been decided (and approved by Marilla) that Anne would be allowed to wear makeup to her party, as she was turning sixteen and could now be considered a young woman. Marilla had given her a small bag of cosmetics containing powder, lip rouge, and blush, which now sat beside the mirror. 

Cole decides to leave most of her hair down, twirling small sections of hair up and placing them atop her head in swirls, like the ones in the 'Starry Night' painting by Van Gogh that Anne absolutely adores. The twists were pinned, and the rest of her hair was left in the beautiful waves from her braids. Anne squeals looking in the mirror, throwing her arms around Cole carefully, making sure she doesn't ruin her beautiful hairstyle.

"Can you do my makeup too, please?" She asks Cole, turning towards him, closing her eyes.

"Of course, Anne!" Cole responds with a smile. He picks up the powder brush before dipping it lightly into the pale powder Marilla had given Anne.

There's a knock on the door.

"Jerry, can you go see who it is, please?" Cole asks as he begins to apply the powder, making sure to do light strokes as to not apply too much.

Jerry walks out of the room, Matthews old leather church shoes adorning his feet, tapping against the wood as he makes his way down the stairs.

Anne hears the door open, and the voices of two boys.

"Gilbert must be here." Anne says excitedly as Cole finishes applying the powder, moving on to the light pink blush that wouldn't overpower her gorgeous pale skin.

Gilbert's POV

The door opens after a few moments, revealing Jerry in a nicely tailored suit.

"Bonjour, Gilbert." He welcomes with a smile, "Come in! Anne is just finishing getting ready for the ball. You can wait downstairs with me, her and Cole should be down in a moment."

Gilbert obliges, sitting down at the table, Jerry staring at him. He coughs.

"So, I heard you asked Anne to her party?" He asks, a grin crossing his face.

Gilbert's cheeks heat up, he can feel his palms begin to sweat.

"Y-Yeah, I did." He stutters, avoiding Jerry's amused gaze.

"So does that mean you--"

Jerry's next question is interrupted by footsteps coming down the stairs.

Gilbert stands up, expecting to see Anne's figure making her way down. 

Instead, he see's the tall figure of Cole, his shadow moving against the wall. 

"Hello Gilbert, you came just in time." Cole smiles at him, his pearly whites glinting in the light.

"Just in time for what?" Gilbert asks, confused, but also excited.

"You'll see." Cole smirks before moving beside the banister, one arm on his hip, the other against his mouth.

"Introducing Princess Anne, the birthday queen!" He announces with passion.

Suddenly Anne comes into view, her dark dress rustling with her steps as she descends the stairs gracefully, like the true princess she is.

Gilbert's heart races as he watches her. She looks lovely, as always, but today was a kind of otherworldly beauty. It wasn't the makeup, though the light pink blush and red lip rogue look gorgeous on her, and it wasn't the nice dress or the pearls, or the new shoes adorning her feet.

No.

Gilbert noticed those, of course, but they didn't make her any more beautiful to him than she always was.

It was the way she carried herself.

The way her boot adorned feet walked down the stairs gracefully.

The way she held her head high with a certain sparkle in her eyes.

The way her smile seemed to be even more enchanting.

The way she seemed more comfortable in her own skin.

As she steps down onto the first floor her eyes meet Gilbert's.

If it was possible for his heart to race any faster, it was. Gilbert blushes and smiles nervously at the breathtakingly beautiful girl standing in front of him.

"Hello, Gilbert." She says with a smile, her eyes twinkling.

They stare at each other for a few moments, until Jerry coughs. Gilbert breaks eye contact, trying to hide his crimson blush by staring at the floor which had suddenly become way more interesting.

"This is a masquerade ball, yes? He asks, looking at Cole and Anne.

"Oh yes!"Cole exclaims running back up the stairs, "The masks!" He disappears in a blur of black and Gilbert hears a door open. With hurried footsteps Cole comes back into view, his feet stomping hard down the steps. In his arms is a brown box, like the one Anne's presents came in.

"Here they are." Cole says, walking over to the table and placing the box down.

He takes off the lid and inside are beautiful gold masks shaped like autumn leaves. Anne sucks in a breath, mouth agape.

At the bottom of the stack is a golden mask, decorated with intricate gemstones, reds and purples adorning the yellow colored leaf.

Cole takes it out carefully, and places it in her hands. 

"Aunt Josephine had me make the mask just for you. It's one of a kind, everyone else at the ball will be wearing the plain ones." He says, holding up the box of masks. "Do you want to put it on now, or-"

Anne squeals with delight, interrupting him.

"Of course I would love to put it on now. Will you fasten it for me?" She asks before turning around, Cole's hands moving her hair out of the way as he places the mask over her eyes, the bright blues a striking contrast against the yellows, purples, and reds.

Gilbert can't help but stare at her. His eyes transfixed on her as she twirls around with her mask on, her hair moving against her shoulders as if a slight breeze were blowing it.

Cole glances at the clock before turning to Gilbert.

"You and Anne decided on the 5 o'clock train?" Cole asks, "Because it's already 4:30, we should probably leave soon."

"Yeah but -um. I may have-" Anne squeals again catching Cole's attention. She turns towards the boys with an elated look on her face.

Anne must have discovered one of her surprises.

"Who does that exquisite carriage belong to?! Oh those gorgeous white horses are simply divine." She giggles before holding up her dress and running out of Green Gables towards the carriage.

Cole looks at Gilbert in astonishment.

"You bought a carriage?" He asks, awestruck.

Gilbert laughs.

"I rented a carriage, yes. I figured it would make Anne feel even more special. Bash knows a man who used to work with him who also lives in Avonlea, so he got in touch and we were able to get the carriage for the night." Gilbert is very proud of himself for making Anne so happy. It is the least he can do, she lights up his world and makes him feel so loved. He only wants her to feel the same. Seeing her face light up was worth every single hard earned penny.

The three boys make their way out onto the front porch and into the field where the carriage is parked on the skinny dirt path. Anne is petting the horse on the left, calling him 'Seashell'.

"Anne we should get going if we want to make it to your party before it's over!" Cole yells as he climbs up into the carriage laughing.

"One second!" Anne yells before moving her hand along Seashell's stomach one more time.

Gilbert watches her from beside the carriage door, opening it for her.

She steps up onto the metal stairs, Gilbert's hand holding her steady.

"Thank you, Gilbert." She says as she steps inside, her burgundy dress gliding along the fine wooden floor.

Gilbert climbs in, and motions to Bash's friend to start driving. It wouldn't take more than an hour to get there, so they should arrive around 5:30.

He looks over to Anne to find that she's fallen asleep, her bright red hair falling against Jerry's suit jacket, her pale nose brushing against his neck as the carriage hits a rock in the road.

Gilbert envies Jerry's and Cole's close relationship with Anne.

'Why can't she fall asleep with her head on my shoulder?'

'What if her and I don't end up together like we do in all my wonderful dreams?'

He redirects his gaze to the window above Anne, watching as the trees pass by them, their barren branches swaying in the autumn wind.

Soon he too is overcome by sleep, dreaming only of Anne, and the endless ways the night could play out, all of the scenarios seemingly ending with her hand in his as he walks her through a garden outside Aunt Josephine's house in the pale moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the reads, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I'm sorry for the late update, it's been a really rough week for me because of lots of schoolwork, but I decided to post what I have written so you guys don't have to wait any longer. I will be doing a whole chapter on Anne's birthday (it will probably be a lot longer because I definitely want to go in depth.) Comment what you expect to happen down below.
> 
> xoxoxox
> 
> Julia
> 
> ps. I'll edit this later


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne's birthday masquerade ball

Anne's POV

The carriage moves over the road to Aunt Josephine's house, her large tan mansion coming into view over the gate, the many windows reflecting the evening sun. The wheels make a consistent bumping sound as it passes over the gravel path leading through the gate and closer to the house.

The constant jolting of the carriage slowly rouses Anne. Her eyes flutter open and she sits back up, removing her head from Jerry's shoulder. Cole glances out the window and then back at Anne, a smile on his lips.

"We're here!" he exclaims with an excited laugh.

Anne squeals, causing Gilbert to awaken, his eyes opening suddenly, he sits up quickly, almost banging his head against the back of the seat.

"Anne what-"

Anne climbs over Jerry to get a better view of the gorgeous tan house.

"Hey!" Jerry cries as Anne's elbow pushes into his rib-cage.

"Sorry Jerry!" Anne apologizes "I'm just so excited to finally get to-"

Anne freezes when the carriage door is opened, having not realized it had ever stopped.

Anne jumps up from off Jerry, the carriage rocking slightly.

The driver holds his hand out to her.

"M'lady may I-"

But he is interrupted by yet another one of Anne's squeals of delight. She pushes past the man's hand and, carefully holding up her dress, she steps eagerly down the steps, making sure that the gorgeous silken fabric doesn't drag on the stone walkway. She doesn't wait for the boys to join her, as gracefully as possible she runs towards the house, almost tripping over her white boots more than once.

She bounds up the steps to the front porch, and then checks the dress for tears. Once she has made sure that the dress was still in pristine condition she knocks on the door and is greeted by Rollings, his close cropped white hair and low voice unmistakable.

"Miss Anne of Green Gables, so nice to see you again." He says with a smile, his dark eyes twinkling.

"Oh Rollings, how nice it is to see each other indeed!" She exclaims, wrapping her arms around his thin waist, "And under such fantastical circumstances too! I do hope that you will make an appearance at my party."

The old man laughs, the sound low and foreign to him, as he is usually serious.

"I wouldn't want to put a damper on your delightful party," he jokes, yet another thing that he only did when in the presence of the always surprising, imaginative, bright blue eyed, intelligent red-head that everyone in the Barry house had fallen in love with.

"Rollings has she arrived yet? It's almost 6 o'clock," Aunt Josephine's voice drifts through the door and Anne rushes into the house. "My heavens!" Aunt Josephine exclaims, her gorgeous green gown sliding against the plush red carpet on the stairs. "Why Anne don't you look positively radiant. Burgundy is definitely your color." She reaches the bottom step and immediately embraces the beaming girl. "I knew Miss Jeannie was an amazing seamstress but I never pictured anything this-"

Anne cuts her off, her blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

"ravishing, fantastical, gorgeous, enchanting, winsome-"

Aunt Josephine laughs, her eyes never breaking contact with Anne's.

"Yes, my child, all of those beautiful intelligent words of yours combined. Gertrude would have adored you. I see many attributes of hers whenever I'm with you." Anne moves to hug the woman again, smiling.

Three pairs of footsteps are heard entering the foyer, and Anne turns to see Gilbert, Cole, and Jerry standing before her. She had forgotten they were with her too. Aunt Josephine eyes the curly haired boy.

"Oh my, is this that handsome Gilbert boy you always talk of, why he's-"

Anne coughs and tries to hide her blush, looking down at her dress, which sweeps the top of her new white boots.

'It's a good thing Marilla gave me some of her makeup,' Anne thinks to herself before glancing back up, instantly locking eyes with a smirking Gilbert Blythe. Anne resists the urge to roll her eyes at him, reminding herself that she is friends with him again and he had asked her to her own party, she mustn't make a scene.

She returns her gaze to Aunt Josephine.

"You remember Jerry, right?" 

The old woman looks over at the brown haired boy who was nervously glancing around the room, taking in the colorful patterns on the ceiling once again.

"Ah yes, I'm glad to see that your cut healed okay. Such a shame that the man had to steal your money. Did you ever find out who did it?"

Jerry smiles a small smile, "Yes ma'am. It was-"

But Jerry is interrupted by many voices shouting from outside. The wheels of carriages are heard from the path to the house, and Anne runs over to the still open door to see Ruby, Diana, Minnie May, arriving. Their hands wave through the open carriage window, giggles carrying through the light breeze.

"Diana! Ruby!" Anne calls out, waving back. 

She pushes past the boys and rushes back through the doorway to stand on the porch, waiting for her two friends to exit the carriage.

Ruby emerges wearing a frilly pink dress, the many crystals adorning the neckline sparkling under the evening sun, the pink ribbon on the back of her dress bobbing up and down as she races towards Anne. Her long blonde hair falls over her shoulders and down her back in bouncy curls. 

"Anne you look stunning in your dress! Burgundy is definitely your color!" 

Anne laughs as Ruby practically trips while running up the stairs. Her dress catches under her and she begins to fall. Ruby lets out a loud scream before falling into Gilbert's outstretched arms.

Anne is puzzled as to when the boy appeared next to her, and even more puzzled as to how he was able to catch Ruby before she fell to the ground.

Ruby keeps her head down, blushing profusely, and avoids Gilbert's eyes,

"Thank you, Gilbert," she says before glancing up at Anne, "I'll be inside." 

She walks quickly into the house where she is given a warm welcome by Aunt Josephine and is told to stay out of the ballroom where the party was to be held, for there would be a big reveal when the clock strikes 6.

Gilbert's POV

It is quite obvious that Ruby still has a crush on him, but Gilbert couldn't just let poor Ruby fall onto the stairs, she would've had a mental breakdown if anything happened to her gorgeous dress. Though Ruby's dress is absolutely gorgeous, and Ruby just as stunning, there is only one girl at this party that Gilbert could ever dream of being with. And that girl was standing right next to him, staring at him with her beautiful ginger hair falling down over her shoulders, the twists adorning her head. 

"Anne-"

Gilbert is cut off by a group of screaming girls, a new carriage had pulled up. Diana runs towards Anne with the biggest smile on her face, Jane, Tillie, and Josie Pye in tow. Diana's dress was a gorgeous lilac color, with grey lace and flowers adorning the puffed sleeves and neckline. Tillie's dress is a simple red gown with white lace and a few ruffles, and Jane's matches but in a navy blue color. 

Josie's dress was overdone, and it was evident that she had tried her very best to outdo Anne. The many ruffles and puffed sleeves, the silken fabric, flowery patter, the crystals on the neckline.... it was all too much. Gilbert resists the urge to roll his eyes when he sees her tall figure stride towards him, a "dazzling" smile resting atop her red lips and perfectly made-up face. 

"Hello, Gilbert." She greets sweetly.

"Josie," he replies, not meeting her eyes. He's too busy staring at the group of girls gawking at the others' dresses, many compliments drifting through the air. Josie continues trying to make conversation, but sighs after one last failed attempt, Gilbert had ignored her for long enough.

'Finally she's leaving,' Gilbert thinks as Josie Pye enters into the large house, commenting just loud enough that Gilbert could hear that her house is just as big as nice as Aunt Josephine's.

Josie's POV

With a discreet eyeroll she turns towards the house. 

'If Gilbert wants to annoy me right now, so be it, but just you wait Gilbert Blythe. Just. You. Wait.'

Anne's POV

Finally everyone had arrived, and with every new arrival there were screams of joy from Anne.

When Billy showed up he pulled her aside, into the dining room to speak with her.

"Anne." He says, looking into her deep blue eyes.

"Yes, Billy? Why did you pull me into the dining room? What do you want?" she asks impatiently, tapping her booted foot against the wooden floor.

"I just wanted to promise you that I will try my best to be as polite as possible tonight, it is your sixteenth birthday after all. I'm hoping that maybe we can be friends?" he pauses, his eyes cast down to look at his black leather shoes.

"I realize that even though you don't particularly like me you invited me anyways, and you are always so polite and selfless, even though you have a bit of a temper, and I feel as though I owe you an apology and kindness, especially after the hideout incident...." he trails off, his shoes becoming more and more interesting with every word. 

"Billy, I can't exactly say that I forgive you right now, though Marilla says that everything can and should be forgiven, but I will say that I accept your apology and after this small talk I am glad that I invited you to my party-- though the same can't be said for Josie Pye who didn't even wish me a happy birthday and-," she pauses

'And kept making eyes at Gilbert Blythe.'

\-- I hope you have an amazing time." She smiles at Billy before he offers her his arm, she takes it and they walk together out of the dining room and into the hallway, straight into a crowd of waiting guests.

Billy's arm is still linked with hers as they approach the group of friends standing beside the door. Anne notices Gilbert's look of alarm and quickly removes her arm from Billy's.

The group of girls is staring at Anne now, confusion crossing their faces as they cast glances at the tall blonde boy standing next to Anne.

"Guys, it's okay. I think him and I are friends now. He apologized to me." She looks up and smiles at Billy, who glances down at her with one of his award winning smirks. 

Josie Pye scoffs before walking over to a table that had been set up in the hallway, grabbing a mask and placing it over her eyes.

The bell chimes signalling that it was now 6 o'clock and Aunt Josephine rushes over to Anne, moving her over in front of the door.

"Happy birthday, Anne!" Aunt Josephine announces before motioning for Rollings to open the door. 

The large door opens with and soon the ballroom comes into view. It was just like the ballroom from Anne's dream.

The large wooden windows were decorated with gold plating, autumn leaves and orange flowers hang from the vaulted ceiling. A table displays a beautiful flower crown with intricately woven red and orange leaves with dark purple flowers and red berries. Anne squeaks as she rushes over to the table, placing the gorgeous crown atop her head. Claps are heard as the rest of the guests enter into the decorated room, making sure to grab a leaf mask on their way in. 

Anne's eyes continue to scan the room, she notices the cherry and magnolia trees that are also placed around the room, the beautiful pink and white flowers contrasting against the autumn colors. The tables strewn with leaves, the grand piano decorated with bright red and orange flowers, the many chandeliers casting light upon the many oranges and reds makes the room give of a red glow.

'Everything is just so perfect,' Anne thinks as she slowly makes her way around the room, touching the trees and leaves, watching as the light reflects off of the many hanging leaves. Anne turns around to see Aunt Josephine standing on a stage, Rollings behind her. 

"Alright everyone, now before this ball commences I want to remind everyone to put on their masks and have a good time. Dinner will be served at 7:30, and any presents brought for Anne may be given to my butler Rollings!" Aunt Josephine motions towards the man beside her and he takes a bow. The many people holding their gifts walk towards him, Rollings reaching behind him to grab a large wicker basket, holding it outstretched in front of him. "Now children, you have a fun time. If there's anything you need Rollings will be right outside the door, and the adults and I will be in the parlor."

A tall man wearing a top hat walks over towards Aunt Josephine and whispers something in her ear. She smiles and nods to him, before a whistle is heard throughout the room and an orchestra walks in, their instruments shining under the chandelier lights. They make their way over to the large stage where many seats have been set up. 

After taking their places the man in the top hat grabs a dark red stick and begins to count off, waving it around. The orchestra strikes up a soft melody and the adults filter out of the room. 

Anne spots Charlie across the room having a heated conversation with a boy she can't quite distinguish because of a large tree in front of him. With a quizzical look she begins to make her way across the room, before a hand grabs her arm.

"Anne! Look over there!" Ruby points to the dessert table, overflowing with cookies and pastries. In the center two bakers are placing down a three tiered cake, decorated with autumn leaves and gorgeous gold designs and red berries adorning the sides. 

Anne is enchanted by the beauty of the cake and walks over to it with Ruby, momentarily forgetting the conversation involving Charlie and the mystery person.

Gilbert's POV

"There is absolutely no way that you will be dancing with Anne tonight. I'm the one who asked her!"

Charlie rolls his big brown eyes, evidently annoyed with Gilbert.

"You can't control her life like this, Gilbert!" he yells, glaring at Gilbert.

"Who are you to tell me what to do about my Anne. My-"

Charlie scowls.

"Your Anne? Gilbert, last time I checked she was nobody's Anne."

"I beg to differ."

Gilbert huffs and turns away, determined to find Anne and tell her how he really feels, confident in the fact that she returns the feelings. He spots her across the room in front of a filled dessert table, talking with Ruby.

Gilbert strides across the leaf strewn wood, his black shoes clicking against the floor amidst the rustle of leaves and the soft symphony being played by the orchestra. 

"Oh Ruby! Look at all the gold designs, and the red berries. I bet this cake is as scrumptious as it looks!" Anne gawks at the cake, her blue eyes wide.

Gilbert's heart leaps at the sight of her smile, she turns around to walk away from the table and her eyes immediately lock with his. They stand there, staring at each other for a few seconds before Ruby awkwardly coughs, her cheeks blushing. 

Anne clears her throat and Gilbert comes to his senses. He would ask Anne to dance with him. 

"Hi Anne would you like to-", suddenly a voice calls to him.

'It's not even fifteen minutes into this party and it already seems as though the universe is not on my side.'

"Gilbert! Can I talk to you for a minute?" Josie asks, a bright smile on her face. 

Gilbert groans, "Yeah, one second," he turns back to Anne but she smiles and shakes her head.

"Go ahead, Gilbert. I'm sure it's really important for you."

Anne's POV

'This is it. My worse fears have been confirmed. Gilbert has officially made Josie Pye jealous enough. He doesn't need me anymore.'

Anne watches his retreating figure with a sad smile, excusing herself to the powder room, needing a minute to breathe.

Josie's POV

Gilbert walks over to Josie, annoyed.

"What do you want, Josie?"

'Oh, nothing much. Just a minute of your time in the hallway because I just saw Anne walk out of here.'

She tries her best to smile the sweetest, least-fake smile that she can.

"I found something I thought you might like to see." She lies, grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door.

Josie spots Anne in the hallway, who had turned around and caught a glimpse of Josie.

'Good, she's still here. Time to do exactly what I came for.'

Before Gilbert can process what's happening her lips are on his.

Gilbert's POV

Before he can even react Josie is standing in front of him. She's on her tippie toes, her loose curls falling in front of her face, Josie Pye is kissing him. On the lips. Gilbert is in shock, he doesn't move to pull himself away from her or to kiss her back. 

'This is disgusting' Gilbert thinks as she pulls away, her pink lips quirked up into a sick, twisted grin. The malevolent glint in her eyes is unmistakable and Gilbert does his best to be polite and contain his rage. 

He immediately looks away and his gaze falls on Anne. A feeling of utter dread overwhelms him. 

'Anne was here. Anne saw Josie kiss me. That is--' He sucks in a breath, realization dawning on him, '-that is the exact reason why Josie chose to kiss me.'

Anne's eyes are downcast, and she swiftly runs back into the ballroom. Gilbert leaves Josie to follow her, her shouts muted as she tries to get his attention again. But Gilbert had had enough of her.

Anne slams open the door, her sobs echoing down the hall as he follows her, a few meters behind her. He hears Anne's sob-filled rundown of the event that just occurred as he runs into the room, but it's too late. All of Anne's friends in the ballroom are looking at him.

Ruby and Diana are whispering to each other, casting angry glances at Gilbert. Cole rubs Anne's back, whispering into her ear.

'I have to fix this. She needs to know that kissing Josie was not my intention.'

"Anne, I-"

Anne turns around to face the door again and smooths her dress, "Excuse me," she says politely before running out, Diana and Ruby in tow. 

Charlie clears his throat and excuses himself as well, casting an angry look at Gilbert before making his way to the door, not even trying to hide the fact that he's following the girls.

'Of course Charlie wants to swoop in and be her knight in shining armor now. I better go and make sure that he doesn't try to sabotage my growing relationship with Anne.'

Gilbert turns but Billy's hand stops him.

"I wouldn't if I were you," he warns, not letting go of Gilbert's arm until he sits down at one of the nearby tables.

Billy doesn't look at him with an angry expression like Cole, Jane, Tillie, and Jerry are doing right now. Instead, it's filled with something more along the lines of disappointment. Jerry shakes his head and sighs, his brown hair sweeping across his forehead as he glances at Gilbert with a look of disapproval. 

Josie enters the room and laughs. "Did you guys like my special surprise for the not-really- birthday girl?" she asks impatiently with feined enthusiasm, waiting for more drama to unfold.

"No way Josie!" Cole yells, his face a dark red and his hands balled into fists, "I think you've done enough for tonight. Please leave, I'm sure Aunt Josephine would be more than happy to arrange for a carriage to take you home immediately. Actually, I'll be right back, I'm going to go ask her." Cole stands up swiftly and storms out of the room, the orchestra's attention brought to the dwindling group spread out across the ballroom.

Josie's mouth forms an 'o' shape as she stares at the spot Cole had been in just a few moments before, the ballroom filled with a kind of awkward silence as the orchestra waits for people to make their way to the dance floor once again. Delilah stands up from her seat at a table and is immediately joined by Moody and Billy, they make their way over to the main area and begin to sway back and forth to the soft hum of the flutes and a harp playing to the tune of one of Mozart's symphonies.

After a few minutes of awkward silence in the corner of the room Cole returns, Anne, Ruby, Diana, and Charlie in tow. 

"Aunt Josephine has arranged a carriage for you, Josie, now if you would please-"

With a huff Josie looks at Anne, a sickening smile on her face, "Thank you, Anne, for inviting me to this quaint little -celebration- I'm so glad you like pretending that you belong in society. Next time, I'd prefer that you-"

"Out, Josie!" Cole yells, not letting go of Anne's hand as he points with his other to the door.

"Au revoir, Anne!" she exclaims as she opens the heavy door, her footsteps receding into the hallway. 

Gilbert's heart drops at the sight of Anne. Tears streak down her face, the powder becoming clumpy. He hears her sniffles and watches as Cole grabs his handkerchief and hands it to her. She dabs her eyes and nose, trying her best to remove the now clumpy powder, before handing it back to him. Cole looks at her and brushes a few strands behind her ears before smiling a small smile and giving her a hug. 

Anne turns to face Diana and Ruby, who link arms with her and soon they are walking across the room over to where the orchestra is playing, joining Delilah, Moody, and Billy who are already dancing and laughing.

'I have to go apologize. Anne needs to know that I didn't want to kiss Josie. Of course Josie had to ruin this amazing night for Anne.'

But Charlie stops him as he turns, the brown haired boy scowling as he stares at Gilbert. 

"Trying to make her feel even worse? Good job by the way, you know, the best way to ruin a girls party is to kiss her sworn enemy." He practically spits at him, enough venom packed into the words to make a viper snake jealous.

Anne's POV

'I knew it. I knew he was just coming to my party to make Josie jealous. But who would've expected she likes him too. Oh well, they're perfect for each other.'

Anne sobs as she makes her way to the indoor bathroom Aunt Josephine has. The lavish area consisting of a couch, a small table, a bathroom area of course, and a nice mirror with an assortment of soaps and a few feminine products like hair ribbons and perfume. 

'I should've known that an ugly, orphaned, homely girl like me could never get any boy to like her, much less any boy half as decent as Gilbert Blythe. I'm not Princess Cordelia with the beautiful auburn hair and rosy complexion that boys fawn over.'

Anne sniffles, walking towards where the mirror is placed on the wall over top of a small washbasin. As she stands in front of the mirror, with her light red nose, pale skin, and awful red hair still atop her head in nice swirls and falling down her shoulders in soft curls she finds it in herself to smile, a faint smile, but a smile nonetheless.

For just a moment she sees the beauty that everyone else sees. But after a millisecond it fades, and her mind returns her to her harsh reality. She rips off her gorgeous mask and throws it to the ground with a faint 'clack'. She sinks to the bathroom floor her head in her hands and lets out a loud sob.

"Anne?" Ruby asks in a soft voice, touching her shoulder before embracing her in a hug, "It's okay Anne. Diana and I are here for you. You'll be okay." Diana rubs her back as she crouches down next to the two other girls, making sure to hold Anne's hair back as she cries so it doesn't get wet. 

"Anne," Diana says softly, her hand never ceasing to make the circular motions, "Josie Pye was awful to do that to you, I'm sure Gilbert didn't mean to-"

"Gilbert could've stopped her. But he didn't. He asked me to my party to make Josie jealous, I'm sure of it. He-"

This time Ruby interrupts, her voice small.

"Anne, I'm sure he didn't ask you just to make Josie jealous."

Anne looks at her two friends like they're speaking another language, unable to comprehend why they don't understand her point of view. She turns to Diana, desperate to make them understand. 

"Diana, remember the other day, when I asked Gilbert if he wanted to walk home with me?"

"Yeah...?" Diana answers, waiting for the relevance of the statement.

"He couldn't walk home with me because he had a previous arrangement with Josie." Anne states, waiting for it to click in her friends' brains.

Diana catches on, her eyes going wide, staring at Anne sitting in front of her, her dress rustling against the tile as she moves moves next to her friend.

"You don't think-"

"I really do."

"I'm afraid I don't follow..." Ruby trails off, wanting someone to explain what Diana just realized.

"I'm afraid Anne is probably right. Gilbert was acting a little weird, after all, it's unlike him to be doing Josie Pye any favors," Diana scowls with disgust as she says the wretched girls name. Ruby thinks for a second, her eyes scanning Anne's face, processing the words Diana had just spoken.

"So... you're saying that because Gilbert has been acting strange and helped Josie that he was using Anne to make her jealous?" Ruby asks, her face lighting up with a little too much excitement than appropriate for the situation.

"Yes," Anne states solemnly.

"Yay!" Ruby exclaims, earning a hard look from Diana as Anne sniffles. "Sorry, I'm just happy I finally understand what's going on."

A knock is heard at the door.

"Anne? Are you in here?" Charlie's voice is muffled through the wood, but clear enough for the girls to understand.

"Yeah, one second!" Diana responds as she stands up, moving towards the door, grasping the brass doorknob.

"Diana, wait!" Anne says suddenly standing up and smoothing out her dress. "Do I look disheveled?" she asks, adjusting her flower crown and the sleeves of her dress.

"Anne, you look gorgeous as always. Why the sudden care for appearance?" Diana asks as Anne blushes, her eyes downcast.

"I just- uh- Charlie asked me to my party too and... you know, if Gilbert is no longer an option I might take him up on his offer." Anne responds quietly, eyes flitting towards the door a few times.

"Okay, well as I said before, you look beautiful. Can I open the door now?" Diana asks in a girlish voice, allowing herself a small smile as she opens the door and comes face to face with a brown haired boy who also, quite obviously, likes Anne.

Charlie's POV

The doorknob turns and Diana opens it, her dress slightly wrinkled.

'They were obviously on the floor, even though though there's a couch.' He looks past Diana and meets Anne's ocean blue eyes. The same pair of eye's that he can never seem to get out of his mind.

'This is it. This is the chance that I've been waiting for to finally show Anne that I'm the one for her -not Gilbert-,' he thinks as he admires her. The way her hair falls over her shoulders, how her pale skin glows against her dark burgundy dress, how the beautiful red tint on her lips makes them look like two perfect rose petals.

Ruby coughs, jerking him back to reality, and Charlie clears his throat.

"I just came to check on you, Anne. I just want to say that I'm here for you, and would be more than willing to be your date for the rest of the night, if you want me to be."

Charlie had changed over the past couple of years, he had grown taller, and his voice had deepened to a rich baritone. But one thing hadn't changed: he never got over his silly childhood crush on Anne. In fact, it had developed into something that Charlie could only believe was a mix between childish infatuation and love. The only thing holding him back from telling Anne all this time had been his friend Gilbert Blythe, but now that Gilbert had surprised everyone by kissing Josie Pye, and him and Charlie don't seem to be good friends anymore, Charlie couldn't find a reason as to why he shouldn't try to pursue the mystical girl in the burgundy dress he had liked since she recited her first poem and won her first spelling bee. 

"Thank you, Charlie, Anne says as she approaches him, the sorrowful expression she had when she left the ballroom now replaced by a bright smile, "It would be absolutely fantastical if you would be my date for the rest of the night."

"Anne? Anne! Are you in here?" Cole's voice is laced with worry as he yells from the sitting room across the hall. "Anne? Where are you!?" Anne glances at reflection in the mirror one last time before walking out of the bathroom, Ruby follows her, and Diana too before she turns around and runs over to where Anne's mask lies before pushing past Charlie to follow Ruby and Anne into the hallway.

'Yes! Yes! Yes!" A million thoughts race through Charlie's head as he stands in the doorway of the bathroom, watching the four friends talk in the hallway.

'She said yes. She. Said. Yes.' Charlie resists the urge to jump up in the air and give a yell of victory. After a few seconds of smiling like a maniac he composes himself. 'Calm down Charlie. It's not like you asked her to marry you. You're still going to have to compete with Gilbert, after all, you are just her rebound.' Charlie immediately resolves to come up with a list of ways to win over Anne one-hundred percent as soon as he gets home after the party. For now, he would enjoy Anne's presence and the great time they would have for the duration of her ball. 

Charlie begins to walk over to the group who were still whispering.

"I told Aunt Josephine what happened with Josie and she has gotten one of her drivers to prepare a carriage to take Josie home. You shouldn't have any more problems, Anne." Cole says, trying his best to make Anne less nervous about returning to her ball. He grabs her hand and places it on his chest. "I promise that the rest of tonight will be nothing short of a dream come true for you, Anne." He says as he leans down to kiss her hand softly. 

"But what if they all laugh at me? What if they were all in on it? What if they were just waiting for Gilbert to kiss Josie and-"

"Anne, these people are your friends, I'm sure they won't. Even if they wanted to I wouldn't let that happen."

"Thank you, Cole." Anne says with a smile before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "Okay, I'm ready to go back in." She takes a deep breath before beginning the short walk to the ballroom door, Cole a few steps in front of her and the rest of them a few steps behind. Her hand slides into Cole's as he opens the door, the faint creak sounding like a loud groan as Anne immediately expects to hear laughs from her peers.

Charlie's POV

Charlie watches in disappointment as Anne and Cole intertwine their fingers before stepping slowly into the room.

'Of course she feels more comfortable with Cole, dummy, she's close friends with him. They've been living together since Cole returned from Charlottetown to come back to school.' But no matter how much he tries to make himself feel less jealous he can't help but envy her relationship with Cole- and he even goes as far as to admit that he is- or at least was- slightly jealous of her relationship with Gilbert as well. 

Charlie moves quickly to keep up with Diana and Ruby as they too enter the large room once again. Cole's voice rings out as he enters, he's talking to Josie.

"Aunt Josephine has arranged a carriage for you, Josie, now if you would please-" 

The preppy girl stands up, so eager for all the attention to be on her.

"Thank you, Anne, for inviting me to this quaint little -celebration- I'm so glad you like pretending that you belong in society. Next time, I'd prefer that you-"

Cole is evidently angry, they've all had enough of the stuck-up blonde girl.

"Out, Josie!" Cole yells, not letting go of Anne's hand as he points with his other to the door.

'Couldn't have said it better myself' he thinks as he watches Josie exit the room.

"Au revoir, Anne!" she exclaims as she opens the heavy door, her footsteps receding into the hallway. 

All of Charlie's attention is now on Gilbert, who is moving as if to go and try to talk to Anne.

'He better not.' 

Charlie scowls and walks over to him, grabbing his arm.

"Trying to make her feel even worse? Good job by the way, you know, the best way to ruin a girls party is to kiss her sworn enemy." 

"Charlie, I need to talk to her. I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't mean to kiss Josie? Your lips just so happened to touch hers and you didn't do anything about it? Didn't think to talk to Anne?"

"She left before I could explain anything!" Gilbert whisper yells, getting agitated.

Charlie scoffs, "and to think, earlier this evening you were worried about me dancing with Anne, now you should be worried about whether or not you two are even friends. At least I would never kiss another girl, it was improper for the both of you to do so, and now Anne is thinking she was just some kind of pawn in your efforts to get Josie because I heard her talking with Diana and Ruby in the bathroom. Now, if you'll excuse me, I promised Anne that I would be her date for the rest of the night."

Gilbert's POV

'Anne thinks I was trying to get Josie?' Charlie's words echo through his mind as he watches him walk over to Anne, and a frown etches itself on his face as she watches him bow in front of her, holding out a hand for her to take, Anne smiles and Charlie smirks, sweeping Anne off her feet and twirling her around. Anne's shrieks of laughter fill the room as everyone turns to look at them. 

Cole, who Gilbert had thought had been one of the biggest supporters of him and Anne being together, was now smiling at the pair who are twirling their way around the room. Even Diana looks happy to see the two of them having a good time.

'Has everyone forgotten that I'm the one in love with Anne? That I'm the one who asked her to her own party? That I'm the one who promised to slay her dragons?'

Gilbert flashes back to his daydream. The one with them in the big house overlooking the White Way of Delight. The one with the children -their children- and the pictures and the happy laughter. His stomach turns.

'What have I done? I have to fix this.'

With a deep breath Gilbert starts to walk to where Charlie and Anne are dancing, the party now in full swing. Charlie's words echo in Gilbert's head, but he ignores them. Determined to talk to Anne. 

'Trying to make her feel even worse?'

'Anne is thinking she was just some kind of pawn in your efforts to get Josie because I heard her talking with Diana and Ruby in the bathroom.'

'The best way to ruin a girls party is to kiss her enemy.'

His breathing quickens, his palms becoming clammy from nerves.

'Man up, Gilbert. You weren't this nervous when you asked her to the dance. If you hadn't screwed up you wouldn't be in this mess, so fix it!' he scolds himself, closing the distance between him and Anne as quickly as possible. 

"Anne, can I uh- can I talk to you for a second?" Gilbert asks meekly, hoping that Anne will say yes.

"Not right now, Gilbert," Anne replies firmly, her eyes not meeting his.

'She won't even look in my direction now.'

I'm sorry, and I don't know what Charlie told you but-"

"Gilbert, it's not about Charlie, he didn't say anything! But it's become quite apparent that there are a lot of things that I should know!" Anne yells at him, her hair whipping across her face as her eyes finally meet his, full of rage. "It's going to take a lot more than you just walking over here expecting to fall into your arms, and to think-" She scoffs, pursing her pink lips, "-and to think that I thought you were too good for me." She turns away from him, taking deep breaths before softly saying "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"I didn't mean to kiss Josie. I'll make it up to you, I promise Anne." Gilbert says before turning away.

"I'll believe it when I see it, Gilbert Blythe." Anne mumbles under her breath.

'Oh believe me, you will.' Gilbert thinks before turning away from the pair to go and get a glass of water, the words repeating over and over in his mind.

Anne's POV

As she dances with Charlie she feels a deep sense of something she can't quite place. Like a mixture of emotions all at once. Even though she's only officially 15 she somehow feels older and more mature. Seeing the smiling faces of her friends has brightened her less than perfect night.

'Gilbert made a mistake, and you don't have to forgive him for it. Not yet anyways. Right now all that matters is Charlie and Diana and Ruby and all the rest of your friends trying to help you to have the best 16th birthday masquerade ball that you possibly can given the events that just occurred. Tonight is all about you. Not Josie Pye. Not Gilbert Blythe. You. Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. The girl with the red hair, pale skin, and freckles. And you're going to enjoy it.' Anne replays these words in her mind over and over as Charlie spins her around. Anne isn't going to let Gilbert and his sad excuse for an apology ruin her night. Meeting with Josie Pye was one thing, but kissing her was totally different. 

'Stop it Anne,' she scolds herself, 'you aren't going to think about what Gilbe- that boy- did any more. You're going to focus on having a good time.' But as much as Anne keeps telling herself that Gilbert doesn't care about her in that way, she just can't stop caring about him. A part of her wants to believe that he didn't mean to kiss Josie. That maybe he was just in shock and that's why he didn't do anything.

'No, do you hear yourself!' Anne thinks, 'He didn't walk you home the other day because he was doing something with Josie. Don't you see? He wasn't helping her with her project, he was probably asking her to the dance. He was using you, Anne. He was using you to make Josie jealous, which she so obviously was because she kissed him in front of everyone!' 

Anne curtsies and excuses herself to go and speak with Diana, who has been watching her and Charlie since he picked her up.

"Diana? Are you okay?" Anne asks as she approaches her, reaching out for her friend's hand.

"Anne, are you sure that Gilbert was using you? He seemed dreadfully sorry about the whole ordeal..." Diana trails off, looking her bosom friend in the eye.

"Everyone apologizes when they feel guilty, Diana. He probably recognizes what he did was wrong and just wants me to forgive him so the guilt doesn't eat him alive."

"I don't know Anne," Diana says, "But you don't have to forgive him right now if you don't want to. I just wouldn't go making assumptions and jumping to conclusions without thinking things through."

Anne smiles at Diana and nods before grabbing her friends hand and dragging her out into the middle of the floor. The two girls erupt in a fit of laughter as they spin around, dipping each other and making up their own funny dance moves. Their dresses billowing as they move.

Tillie, Ruby, and Jane soon join in, the girls now in a circle with joined hands, kicking their feet and laughing as they spin around to the fast music the orchestra had begun to play, their dresses creating a kind of beautiful rainbow as they move about. Anne spots Charlie over by the dessert table, his pretty brown eyes watching her, and she blushes.

'Charlie is cute, and although he isn't as intelligent as Gi- the other boy- he is still very smart, and he has a good sense of humor when he isn't busy vying for my attention.'

Cole walks over to Jerry and whispers in the french boy's ear, making him laugh. He nods, and the two of them walk over to where Anne's circle of close friends is. They wait for the orchestra to take a short break before grabbing Anne, who squeals with joy, and carry her over to the stage where Aunt Josephine had stood earlier in the evening.

Cole grabs a book from behind his back and hands it to Anne.

"I think you should do your recitation now," he says, before walking off the small stage with Jerry. 

Anne smiles, opening up the small poetry book to a page she had bookmarked. Her voice reciting the poem with as much passion as she had just a few years before at the first soiree she had attended. 

"Now I remember that the real world was wide,

and that a varied field of hopes and fears,

of sensations and excitements,

awaited those who had the courage to go forth,

into its expanse,

to seek real knowledge of life

amidst its perils."

Her friends clap and cheer as she curtsies, Diana and Cole's eyes showing that they remember the poem as well.

"Bravo, Anne!" Aunt Josephine calls to her as she enters the ballroom with the adults following, "We heard your delightful recitation from in the hallway and I must say, it sounds just as good as when I first heard you recite it at my fall soiree a few years back, don't you think?"

"Thank you, Aunt Josephine."

"You're welcome dear, now, who's ready for some cake?!" Anne's friends erupt in a series of whistles and 'yes'' once again as they all follow Aunt Josephine over to the dessert table.

Anne hops off the stage and grabs Jerry and Coles' hands before walking over as well, excited to taste the cake that looks oh so scrumptious.

The small crowd around the table parts like the red sea as Anne moves closer to the table. Everyone's eyes are on her. As soon as she reaches the tables edge she can smell the buttercream frosting and all the chocolate brownie's, but most of all she can feel everyone's eyes on her. But for once it isn't a bad feeling.

The man conducting the orchestra counts off and soon the orchestra begins to play a rendition of the 'Birthday Song' and her friends join in, their off key singing making Anne giggle. Soon after the song is over the large cake is cut to reveal a delectable vanilla and raspberry cake covered in the thick layers of fondant and decorations.

To Anne's delight it does taste as scrumptious as it looks, and Anne walks into the kitchen to personally thank the bakers for their amazing cake, one that Anne claims is the best cake she has ever had in her whole fifteen years of life.

"Merci! Merci," The bakers exclaim, hugging her, "Miss Barry specifically instructed us to use only the finest ingredients and I'm happy to inform you that the decorations were all done by your friend."

"Diana, or Cole?" Anne asks, a smile spreading across her face.

"Yes, yes, the boy. He made sure that he sculpted all the fondant before he left to visit you."

With that Anne thanks the bakers once more for their fantastical cake and then races out of the kitchen and back to her party, running straight to Cole and enveloping him in a hug.

"Anne? What's going on? What's this for?" Cole asks, puzzled.

"The bakers told me you made all of the decorations for my cake!"

Cole laughs, his chest vibrating against Anne.

"I did. I thought you would like them. You keep telling me not to give up on my art, so I figured a good way to thank you for that is was to decorate your cake." Anne buries her face into his suit jacket, taking in the faint scent of cologne.

"Thank you Cole, the cake was beautiful." she says, her voice muffled by the fabric.

"You're very welcome, princess Anne.' Anne lets go of him, still smiling.

Out of the corner of her eye she spies Gilbert, staring at her from a table in the corner of the room. He's sitting with Delilah and Anne swallows the jealousy that bubbles in her throat.

'Don't worry about him, Anne.' she repeats to herself over and over. Trying to ignore him.

"Anne, would you care for one last dance before dinner?" Charlie asks politely from behind her, his hand outstretched for her to take. Anne smiles, turning around with a light pink blush present on her cheeks, more natural than the makeup that had been applied hours earlier. Her blue eyes flit up to his brown ones and she curtsies.

"Of course," she replies, taking his hand. She and Charlie walk gracefully over to the middle of the dance floor where Aunt Josephine is dancing with Rollings. They sway to the music for a few minutes, unnoticed by Aunt Josephine. When she see's the two of them she smiles. 

"Did you like your little treat of cake before dinner?" Aunt Josephine jokes, and even Rollings manages a smile.

"Oh yes, I just hope that I didn't eat too much of it. I am so looking forward to the feast that your cooks have prepared. If it's half as good as the cake was I will have to return to the kitchen to compliment them as well." The four of them laugh, the piano slowly fading until the song is over.

"Alright everyone!" Aunt Josephine announces, the children stopping their side conversations and directing their attention towards her. "It is now 7:30, so if everyone could please make their way to the dining room dinner will be served shortly." 

Anne couldn't wait to see what kind of feast Aunt Josephine had decided on, but the heavenly smell drifting from the dining room was telling her that she would love it. She stands with Diana, Ruby, Tillie, and Jane in the doorway and gasps at all the delicious foods spread across the table. There's chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes with a sort of gravy, stuffing, a kind of casserole, sliced fruits, an assortment of breads and biscuits, cheeses, salad, and some cranberry sauce.

"Oh my goodness it's just like Christmas dinner!" Anne remarks, gawking at the spread."

"Nothing but the best for you, dear." Aunt Josephine exclaims, bidding her to sit down.

Once everyone had filtered into the dining room Aunt Josephine stands up from her seat next to Diana and taps her spoon against her glass.

"Shall we say grace?" She asks, "would anyone prefer to say it?"

Anne stands up immediately, "I would like to say grace."

Everyone bows their heads, waiting for Anne to begin.

"Gracious heavenly father, we thank you for the ability to enjoy this time together tonight, and for being surrounded by those that care about us. I pray that we will continue to enjoy the evening and this wonderful feast that Aunt Josephine's cooks have prepared. May this food provide nourishment to our bodies, Amen."

"Amen," everyone repeats before the sound of serving utensils clinking against the pottery fills the air, and satisfied 'mmm's' are heard throughout the dining hall. To Anne's insistence the cooks, bakers, and servants are all invited to take some of the succulent food because of their hard work with her party.

A cough is heard throughout the room and Anne glances up to see Jerry standing up from the table.

"Excuse me. I -uh, I have a few -um words I would like to say."

"Like a toast?" Aunt Josephine asks

"I- uh, I guess" Jerry says before clearing his throat and looking at Anne, "When I first met you, we didn't get along very well. You were annoying and I always remember when you would tell me that I was your problem before storming out of the barn or wherever you happened to run into me. But after we went to Charlottetown that first time, and we actually spent some time together you weren't so bad. Over these past few years we've developed a kind of relationship. You're like one of my sisters now. You taught me how to read and write, and for that I am forever grateful. I know that no amount of 'thank you's' will ever show just how grateful I am that you have given me the opportunity to be more than just a farm hand. Thank you Anne, for being an amazing sister. I love you."

Anne's breath catches in her throat as she stares at the tall French boy who is smiling at her. She wipes a tear of happiness from her cheek and quickly pushes her chair back, running over to the boy she now considers her brother and wraps her arms around him.

"I love you too, Jerry. I love you so much." she cries into his shoulder, the happy tears freely flowing. 'Aww's' are heard around the room as the two friends stand there wrapped in each other's arms for close to thirty seconds. With a deep breath Anne lets Jerry go and returns to her seat.

Diana stands up from her seat next to Anne, grabbing her bosom friend's hand.

"Anne, from the moment I met you, everything changed. You had imagination, something I had seen so little of before. We walked through that woods after the first meeting, and I was talking about the cake and you used the word 'scrumptious' and I don't think I had ever heard so beautiful of a word until it tumbled out of your mouth, and then you told me about how you liked to read and you started talking about your imagination and storytelling and somehow I just knew that you and I were going to be the best of friends. When you asked me if I could like you even a little bit, why, I don't think I could imagine a scenario where I couldn't have loved you more than I already did. When we swore over the white, fluffy dandelion, vowing to be faithful to each other until the end of time, I was so ecstatic to have finally found a true kindred spirit in someone so outspoken, imaginative, smart, fun, and beautiful as you. I can't imagine my life without you in it now. May you continue to be the brightest ray of sunshine, lighting up all of Avonlea with your many stories and imagination." Diana brings Anne's hand up to her lips and gives it a light kiss before leaning forward to hug Anne. The two girls crying and smiling, the hearts of everyone at the table melting because of Diana's heartfelt message.

Gilbert's POV

Everyone is dismissed from dinner once nobody else stands up to deliver there own little speech for Anne, but nobody notices Gilbert shove a folded piece of paper back into his suit jacket.

'I'll have to share this with her some other time. A time when her and I are alone and she isn't mad at me.' Gilbert thinks as he stands up from the table, plastering a smile on his face. He glances up at the clock, 'It's already almost 8:30! What time is the party supposed to end? How am I getting home since Jerry, Anne, and Cole are staying here? Did Sebastian's friend stay around? Is he going to pick me up?' As if right on cue, Rollings walks into the dining room and makes his way over to Gilbert Blythe. 

"A certain Bash Lacroix and his wife Mary are here to visit Anne? They informed me that you would know them." 

Gilbert sighs in relief, 'If Bash and Mary are here then they obviously found a ride and I can just go home with them.' Rollings continues to stare at him, his face wearing a serious expression.

"Yes sir, I do. Do you want me to go get Anne? She would be thrilled to see them." 

"Oh nonsense sir, I'll just send them right into the party. I just needed your verification that they were indeed guests."

Gilbert watches as Rollings exits the room. He decides it best to join the party again and leaves the dining room. Laughs drift through the open doors and as he enters, Gilbert see's the many guests all arranged in a circle around Anne, a few small stacks of presents in front of them. 

"Oh this is just lovely!" Anne remarks, holding an object that Gilbert can't see. "Thank you!"

"You're very welcome" comes a deep male voice, "I'm glad you still recognize me without my flower costume on!" He laughs, and Anne joins him.

"Why, how could I ever forget. That costume was one of the best at the soiree that year, the creativity was fantastical."

Gilbert steps closer, his eyes searching to find the man Anne is talking to. His eyes soon find the source of the voice, a stout, middle aged bald man with a shadow of brown stubble on his chin and jaw. 

"Me next!" shouts Diana, moving closer until she was right up against Anne. She grasps Anne's hand and pulls out a tiny box that was hidden in one of the three small piles. Anne smiles, undoing the sparkly purple ribbon, opening the box with a gasp.

Anne's POV

Inside the box given to her is a beautiful oval shaped locket with the initials ASC engraved on the front. 

"Open it," comes the voice of her friend. Anne twists the small locket in between her fingers, the smooth silver cool against her skin. She finds a small clasp on the side and moves it with her thumb. The locket opens with a faint 'click'. Inside is on the left side is a small photo of her, Diana, and Cole, taken at Aunt Josephine's first soiree. On the other side is a simple image, two hearts intertwined. It reminds Anne of the first day they met, when they swore to stay friends for as long as they lived. She presses the locket against her chest.

"Thank you Diana," Anne's voice comes out hoarse, tears of joy threatening to spill.

"You're most welcome, Anne." Diana replies, pulling her friend into a hug.

"Us next!" Tillie and Jane exclaim, both of them picking up a small box. "We each chipped in enough money to be able to afford them. We picked them out especially for you at the store, saved enough money doing work around the general store."

Anne takes the box out of the two girls' hands and opens it. Inside are two sets of ribbons, one a deep burgundy, almost matching the color of her dress. The other set is a navy blue, the dark color reminding her of the night sky. She picks up a burgundy ribbon, the smooth silk rubbing against her fingertips. 

"I love them, thank you." Anne assured, wrapping her arms around her two friends.

"Happy early birthday, Anne," two voices greet as they enter into the room.' 

Anne looks up with and a large smile crosses her face. 

"Bash! Mary!" Anne yells, jumping up from her spot on the floor and running over to the two adults standing in the entryway of the grand ballroom!"

Mary pulls out a basket from behind her back and holds it out to Anne, "I hope you like apple desserts. We had some extra apples from our orchard and I figured you would enjoy some special birthday treats that will last awhile." She laughs, handing the basket over to Anne, the scrumptious smelling treats underneath of the white towel making Anne's mouth water, even though she had already eaten two pieces of cake and a whole feast.

She removes the towel to see a small batch of apple fritters, turnovers, a pie, and some baked apples sprinkled with cinnamon. 

"These smell delicious, Mary!" Anne exclaims, hugging the young woman.

"I'm glad you like them." Mary replies, hugging the girl's small frame.

Anne looks over at Bash who is also holding something behind his back.

He bows, "Princess Anne, I present to you a bouquet of flowers from the finest field in all of Avonlea," as he announces this he pulls out a divine bunch of flowers tied with a gorgeous red ribbon. The red and yellow wildflowers with a good mix of deep purple leaves and some red berries matching her flower crown perfectly. The sweet aroma reminding her of springtime. 

"Why thank you, Sir Bash and Lady Mary, please feel free to enjoy the rest of the ball." She chirps, turning to the rest of her friends.

The piles begin to dwindle as Anne continues to open the presents at the insistence of her guests. Finally after the piles are gone many guests begin to say their goodbyes, thanking Aunt Josephine for the wonderful party, and wishing Anne an amazing rest of the evening. It's 9:30 by the time many of the adults have left, leaving only Ruby, Diana, Jerry, Cole, Gilbert, Mary, Bash, and Charlie.

"Hey Anne?" Charlie asks, tapping her on the shoulder, can I talk to you in the hallway for a minute.

"Of course, Charlie!" Anne replies, following him out of the room.

"I didn't-uh, I didn't bring a present for you, but I- I do have a surprise of some sort."

"It's okay Charlie, you didn't have to bring a present, after all it's just-"

"Anne, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me on a date tomorrow evening. I know it's late notice but I just." He sucks in a breath, playing with his fingers, staring at his shoes shining under the light emitted from the lamps lining the walls. "I really like you Anne," he says in a small voice, "you're the prettiest, smartest, most creative girl I've ever met, and I would love nothing more than to spend an evening with you."

Anne blushes, her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson.

'Charlie Sloane is asking me on a date?! He isn't Gilbert but- no, no Anne. You're mad at Gilbert. You're not thinking about him right now. He kissed Josie, remember? You have handsome Charlie Sloane standing right in front of you asking you out on a date after you danced with him at a fancy event in a gorgeous dress, something that you always dreamed of doing with a boy. Forget about Gilbert for once in your life and say yes to a boy who so obviously likes you.' She thinks for a minute before responding.

"I am flattered that you have asked me on a date, Charlie, I would be delighted to accompany you. Should you pick me up at Green Gables? I should be home from Aunt Josephine's by the afternoon."

"Yes, of course, I'll be at Green Gables by 3 o'clock. Is that okay?"

"I'll see you at three," she replies, noticing the bubbly feeling in her chest, but also the heavy feeling, a kind of sadness weighing down the happy moment the just enough for her to notice.

Charlie's POV

Anne pauses before responding to Charlie's invitation for the date.

His mind races with a million reasons why she's hesitating, 'I hope she's not taking this long to respond because she's trying to let me down lightly. Oh! Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, she was just hurt by Gilbert tonight, maybe i should've-' but charlie's thoughts are interrupted by Anne's thoughtful reply.

"I am flattered that you have asked me on a date, Charlie, I would be delighted to accompany you. Should you pick me up at Green Gables? I should be home from Aunt Josephine's by the afternoon."

Charlie resists the urge to jump up and down again, settling for another wide smile, his brown eyes sparkling.

'She said yes! She said yes! Mama will be so happy to hear that I finally gathered up the courage to ask Anne out, she's been dying to meet her for so long now.'

"Yes, of course, I'll be at Green Gables by 3 o'clock. Is that okay?"

'I'll see you at three!" She chirps, returning his beaming smile.

"Charlie, your mother is here to pick you up, the carriage is waiting outside for you. Should I send her in or are you going to be out soon?" Rollings voice calls from down the hallway to the front door.

"I'll be out in a minute!" he calls back before turning back to face Anne. He holds his hand out for her to shake but she pulls him into a friendly hug. 

"Goodbye, Princess Anne." Charlie says, his voice muffled by her hair, breathing in her sweet scent, her perfume smelling faintly of fields of flowers.

"Goodbye, Charlie," she replies, pulling away from the hug with her ever-present smile.

With an extra skip in his step Charlie walks towards the front door, eager to tell his mother everything that happened at the party.

Gilbert's POV

Gilbert had seen Anne leave the ballroom with Charlie a few minutes before, but when Anne returns she's alone, and Gilbert assumes Charlie just wished Anne a happy birthday and they said goodbye.

Anne runs into another one of her leaving guests. 

'Everyone's leaving, now's my chance' Gilbert thinks as he watches the stout man Anne was talking to earlier exit the ballroom with a hearty laugh. 

He begins to approach Anne, wringing his hands nervously.

"Gilbert, are you almost ready to leave? It's getting late, the driver is waiting outside." Bash asks, grabbing his coat from Rollings.

"Just give me a few minutes, I just have to talk to Anne." he taps her on the shoulder, "Anne?" she turns around, her smile faltering slightly before resuming its normal, bright appearance.

"Hi, Gilbert." Anne observes, staring at him.

He coughs lightly, his hazel eyes boring into hers. "I just want to say that I'm-"

"Gilbert, if you've come here just to apologize I have already told you, it's going to take more than an apology to earn my forgiveness. I need some time, so please allow me to have it." Anne declares, turning her eyes to face the ground. 

"Anne, how about I make it up to you tomorrow, I can take you out and I can explain everything, because it's not what you think."  
"Gilbert. Are you not listening to me?!" Anne snaps, glaring up at Gilbert, "I just said that I need time. I mean, how would you feel if you were at your sixteenth birthday party and you caught the girl you lik- are friends with kissing someone else. Think of how I feel right now! And even if I wanted to hear what you have to say, which I don't at the moment, I can't, Charlie just asked me out on a date and I accepted."

Gilbert stares at her, dumbfounded.

'Charlie and Anne are going on a date?! When did Anne start liking Charlie? I really must find a way for Anne to forgive me.' Gilbert nods at Anne, resolving to tell Bash and Mary about his current situation to see if they can offer any advice on how he can win Anne back.

"Have a good rest of the night Anne," Gilbert says with a slight bow before walking towards where Bash and Anne are waiting at the door.

"You ready to go, Gilbert?" Mary asks, draping her shawl over her shoulders.

"Yes," Gilbert says with a smile, not concerned about winning Anne back because Mary is always so good at giving advice and helping him and Bash out when they need it.

As he gets in the carriage and they begin their journey back to Avonlea under the pale moonlight Gilbert divulges all of the events of the night, making the problem involving the kiss with Josie Pye explicitly clear, Mary and Bash taking in every word. 

Anne's POV

"Anne!" A voice calls from across the room. Anne turns to see Jane, Tillie, and Ruby standing in a row.

Ruby's voice is full of sadness, "I'm afraid it's time for us to depart, Anne. I had an amazing time."

"Us too," Jane and Tille pipe up, their beaming smiles contagious, one spreading across Anne's face as well. The small group of girls hug, giggling. 

"Bye Anne!" The three of them yell as they exit the ballroom to put on their coats. 

"Anne, are you ready for our sleepover?!" Diana squeals, grabbing her friends hand. She practically drags her over to Jerry and Cole, grabbing them as well. "Come on! We're going to have so much fun!"

The two boys look at eachother, something quite familiar to horror crossing their faces before they burst out laughing.

"Diana- we- are- flattered that- you would include us- in your sleepover," Cole manages to get out between laughs, "but I'm very- tired, and- I'm sure- Jerry is- too." 

"I am too," Anne chimes in, giving Diana an apologetic glance, "I'm afraid the party has really tuckered me out." she adds, turning her attention to Aunt Josephine.

"Is it okay if I head to bed now?" she asks.

"Of course, Anne. You know which room is yours." Anne nods to Diana, not missing Minnie May telling Diana that she would love to join Diana's sleepover party. With a laugh she exits the room, walking back through the hallway that seemed to be the place where all the major events -good and bad- had occurred that evening. Her brain flashes back to seeing Gilbert and Josie kiss next to the painting of an angel beside the entrance to one of the sitting rooms. Then as she passes the passes the bathroom on the way to the stairs she remembers Charlie asking her on a date, and she feels the sinking feeling again in her stomach and the weight on her chest.

'Do I like Charlie? Or do I like Gi- the other boy?' she asks herself as she reaches the stairs, bounding up them, her white boots padding softly against the carpet. 

She feels bad for leaving her other friends and turning in early, but if she's honest with herself she knows that she isn't up for any more fun stuff at the moment. She can feel her body becoming sluggish as she walks down the bright hallway with the patterned rug covering the smooth wood.

She finds her room and twists the brass handle, the door making no sound as it opens, revealing the lavish room she missed so much. With its gorgeous mahogany vanity and the plush covers on the large bed, the gorgeous lamp with the light bulb that Anne just loves to admire. The painting of Joan of Arc above the bed, nestled in a golden frame.

Anne walks over to the dresser and finds that one of the maids had put her night clothes in the top drawer. She takes her hair down and brushes it with the soft brush on the nightstand before quickly changing out of her fancy ballgown, pulling the soft white nightgown over her neat braids. She climbs under the soft covers and stares at the ceiling, her body exhausted but her mind racing. She lays there for awhile, just staring at the ceiling before glancing at the clock in the corner of the room. It reads 12:34 in roman numerals. The words spoken to Gilbert Blythe earlier in the evening echoing inside her brain as she closes her eyes, trying her hardest to clear her mind. It was supposed to be a fun night, after all, Charlie had asked her on a date and she truly does believe that she might have feelings for him, but now no matter how much she reminds herself of this all she feels is turmoil and a deep sense of regret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey loyal readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry for the long-ish wait, I've been sick all week and obviously this is quite a long chapter so it took a bit long to write. I hope this satisfied your hopes for Anne's ball, and that you enjoyed the little plot twist. What do you guys think is going to happen with Anne and Charlie? Do you think Anne is going to forgive Gilbert soon? If not, what will happen in the meantime? Comment your thoughts.
> 
> xoxoxo,
> 
> Julia


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day after Anne's party part 1

Anne's POV

Anne wakes up in the opulent room completely exhausted, the events from the night before having kept her up til sunrise. A whirlwind of emotions course through her. She expected herself to be happier, after all she is going on a date with a fine boy-- her very first date. But somehow it doesn't feel as wonderful as it did in the few moments after saying yes.

There is not a doubt in Anne's mind that Charlie is a respectful, smart, funny, and handsome boy, but there's a small weight on her heart, faint, but still noticeable, just as it was the night before.

Even as she thinks about why she feels slightly sad she can't help the smile that creeps across her cheeks. 

'Charlie asked me on a date. He's not Gilbert Blythe but that silly boy is probably off with Josie somewhere. He can have her, I have Charlie. He's a perfectly nice boy after all. He could make me just as happy.' Anne thinks as she slides out from underneath the covers, padding over to her vanity to fix her hair.

As she looks in the mirror she takes in her red locks, some of them having fallen out of her plaits at some point during the night. She also looks at her light pink lips, and traces constellations on her cheeks, her freckles on her pale skin akin to the bright and beautiful stars spread across the wondrous dark expanse of a clear night sky. Just as she had the day before she allows herself to consider herself beautiful. Not the plain girl she always considered herself to be. Something changed in her the night before, something she can't quite place. But it's a good change and Anne knows it. 

She redoes the braids quickly, her hair smooth and tangle free, allowing her fingers to weave the fiery strands with ease. She makes her way over to the wooden dresser and opens up the drawer in which she found her nightgown. In it sits her blue ribbons and a gray dress Marilla had made for her. She pulls it over her head, careful not to ruin her perfect plaits and pads barefoot over to the bedroom door. She twists the brass knob and walks out into the hallway, her feet touching the plush rug. The door across the hall opens and Diana and Minnie May exit, looking much more well rested than Anne.

"Good morning, Anne!" Minnie May shouts, the high volume of her voice startling Anne slightly, "Are you heading down for breakfast? I hope Aunt Josephine had the cooks prepare pancakes and some fresh sausage!" The young girl exclaims, skipping away, her pink dress ruffling.

"Anne, you look paler than usual, did you get a good nights rest?" Diana asks, her eyebrows furrowed and her face full of concern for her bosom friend.

"I was up all night thinking about the party!" Anne replies in a tired yet happy voice.

"I still can't believe Charlie asked you on a date, Anne! He's one of the cutest boys at school! Jerry would obviously be in the mix if he attended but-" Diana stops herself, having said too much already. Anne is eyeing her suspiciously, "I didn't mean it like- I don't- We should get to breakfast, I'm sure Minnie May is waiting for us."

Diana walks quickly down the hallway not bothering to wait for Anne.

Anne smirks, she would have to tell Jerry about this after breakfast, he's always complimenting Diana so maybe if Anne did enough prodding she could get them both to confess.

'Oh how amazing it will be when Diana and I can both talk about our beaus together. Diana and Jerry and Me and Gil-' Anne takes a deep breath, realizing what she was about to think, 'Me and Charlie.' She thinks with a nod, beginning to follow the path of her friend who was already halfway down the stairs. 

The smell of sausage and pancakes hits her nose as she descends, her stomach growling. As she enters the dining room she sees Aunt Josephine, Cole, Diana, Minnie May, and Jerry already at the table. 

"Good morning, Anne!" Aunt Josephine greets as she cuts up her pancake, "did you have a good rest? You went to bed very early last night."

Anne takes a seat at the table. "Yes, I was very tired but unfortunately my mind had other plans, I was up all night replaying the ball's events in my head! Oh it was a most scrumptious yet disappointing few hours as all I wanted was to get was a little bit of rest before the beautiful sunrise."

"Oh that's okay Anne, you will have lots of time for rest when you return to Green Gables after lunch today." Cole says with a wide smile, knowing full well that Anne has plans with Charlie Sloane.

"Cole, did you forget? Anne has plans with Charl-" Cole kicks Jerry not-so-discreetly under the table. "Ow! What was that for?!" Jerry exclaims before leaning down to rub his leg. "If this bruises then you can help Matthew with all the farm work." the french boy jokes before standing up, having finished his breakfast. 

Jerry gets up and lightly ruffles Cole's hair, excusing himself to the stables to visit the many horses.

Aunt Josephine's eyes furrow before a look of understanding washes over her face.

"Now what was Jerry saying about Anne having plans with Charlie?" Aunt Josephine asks Cole, her attention now focused solely on the three teenagers sitting in front of her, "I do assume that was the reason you kicked him, right Cole?" She asks with a light smile, the ginger haired boys cheeks turning a nice shade of pink.

"I-uh-y-yeah, I was um- I didn't know if Anne would want me to share the new- you know...." he trails off, glancing up at Anne with a slightly guilty expression.

"Charlie asked me on a date last night. It's no big deal." Anne admits with a happy smile, her eyes locking with Aunt Josephine's.

"Oh my goodness, Anne! No big deal?! This is your first date, of course it's a big deal!" Aunt Josephine exclaims with a happy laugh and a lot of clapping. Suddenly her features are overcome with a solemn expression, "you said Charlie? What happened with Gilbert did he-" Aunt Josephine is interrupted by Anne.

"He kissed Josie Pye, that's why she had to leave." She states with no expression found in her usually passionate voice. Noticing Aunt Josephine's sad expression Anne hurriedly adds "but Charlie is oh so kind and very handsome as well. I do believe I might like him as well, so what better way to forget about what Gilbert did than to spend time with someone who voiced his feelings." A wide smile crosses her face as she recalls when Charlie asked her on a date. At the time she had been so caught up on what happened with Gilbert, and even this morning that was the first thought she had, but now, she was finally experiencing the same happiness she had in the moments right after- pure bliss.

"Charlie was the tall brown-haired boy that isn't Gilbert?" Aunt Josephine asks, a smile creeping onto her face too.

"Yes!" Anne exclaims, "the one with the straight hair and paler skin."

"He is quite handsome Anne. But you should only be with him if you truly like him, don't do this because of Gilbert-"

"Why does everything have to be about Gilbert." Anne blurts suddenly, "I don't care what Gilbert did with Josie Pye, Charlie has vocalized his interest in me, which is one thing that Gilbert hasn't done. Gilbert may not like me after all, and even if he does they are both perfectly nice boys who are trying to woo me. Charlie deserves his shot at a date after mustering up the courage to ask me." Anne concludes, finishing up her breakfast.

"I understand what you're saying Anne," Aunt Josephine replies, standing up from the dining room table, "I just hope everything works out for you. Whether you're with Charlie or Gilbert doesn't matter, as long as you're happy." with a smile she exits the room.

'Happy. I'm perfectly happy right now thinking about how Charlie asked me out on a date.'

Charlie's POV

Charlie wakes up from a beautiful dream about Anne.

Her long red hair cascading in curls down her back. Her sparkling blue eyes meeting his deep brown ones. Her sweet voice drifting around them as they lay under the vast night sky counting stars and pointing out constellations. In his dream he held her hand, but he wasn't wanting to move too fast with her. The girl he had pined for for years is finally going out on a date with him. She deserves all the respect and he is determined to be a perfect gentleman.

Over the years he had checked out so many books on manners and how to be a gentleman that he was practically an expert on the subjects. He throws off the covers with a wide smile thinking about the date he had planned and races down the stairs in his white pajamas. 

"Good morning Charlie!" his mother muses plating their breakfast, "breakfast is ready!"

"Thank you, mom!" he replies, walking over to her with an extra skip in his step, planting a soft kiss on her cheek, "it smells as good as the fancy dinner last night." he remarks, taking his seat at their quaint wooden table.

"I'm sure it does." his father laughs, making his way into the kitchen with Charlie's little sister Lanie following behind. He too plants a kiss on Mrs. Sloane before taking his place at the table. 

"So, Charlie," Mr. Sloane addresses the boy while placing Lanie in her seat next to the boy, "I never got the chance to ask you about Anne's party last night. Did you have fun?"

Charlie smiles, ready to answer, but as always his mother is so eager to break the news that she just lets it slip out.

"He told me all about it. He finally asked Anne on a date! After all this time he gathered the courage to do it! And here's the best part-" She pauses, drawing out the silence as she always did to create suspense, but this time Charlie wanted to give the news.

"Anne said yes to my proposal. Well not a uh- marriage proposal, a -um- the proposal for the date. Her and I agreed on this afternoon and I'm picking her up from Green Gables."

Mr. Sloane looks at his son with so much endearment, proud of him for having told Anne how he feels after all these years. 

"I'm proud of you, son," he says before beginning to eat his breakfast, Mrs. Sloane sitting down next to Charlie, pinching his cheeks and chattering on about every little detail Charlie had confided in her earning several blushes from Charlie and laughs from the two Sloane boys.

Gilbert's POV

Gilbert had spent the whole night and most of the morning thinking about Anne.

Her bright red hair.

Her shining blue eyes.

The way she smiles.

Her sweet voice.

Everything.

"I can't let her be with Charlie. I'm the one who's supposed to be with her. She's supposed to live with me in our house overlooking the White Way of Delight and out two children that each have a mix of our best features. She's supposed to be Mrs. Bly- Shirley-Cuthbert-Blythe! Not Mrs. Shirley-Cuthbert-Sloane! That doesn't even sound right!" Gilbert hadn't realized he was yelling until Bash was knocking on the door, muffled laughter travelling through the wood.

"Gilbert is uh- is everything okay? Do I need to go get Mary?" Bash asks opening the door a crack, his laughing incessant. Gilbert had gone to his room an hour ago to get ready to head into town and now he stands in his room in front of the mirror yelling at himself still in his pajamas with un-brushed hair. 

"No Bash, I just - I just wanted last night to turn out different. I was supposed to ask Anne to dance with me an-and her and I were going to spend the rest of the night in each other's arms. I was supposed to recite the poem I spent a whole week memorizing and then ask her out on a date. But instead Josie ruined everything, as always." Gilbert huffs, plopping down on his bed.

Bash takes a few steps in, his tone now serious and the laughter gone. Gilbert was really upset about his situation, so Bash was going to do the best he could to help.

"Gilbert," Bash begins, sitting carefully next to the bedraggled, upset boy, "everything happens for a reason. This situation could turn you both down many different paths, but you must remember that even though what happened may have been an accident Anne will still need time to process it. I mean, she did catch you kissing another girl at her birthday party, and it was quite obvious that she has- or had- feelings for you. Her going on a date with Charlie could just be her way of coping with what happened, maybe even a way to get back at you for allowing Josie to kiss you.

"But I didn't allow her to kiss me!" Gilbert exclaims leaning back on his elbows.

"So you pushed her off of you? Because that would change the situation a little bit."

"Well, no- not exactly. But I didn't kiss her back, I just-"

"But does Anne know that?" Bash asks crossing his long legs and turning to face Gilbert, "because if you didn't all she saw was you and Josie kissing in secret outside the main area of her birthday party. To her it could look like you went there for the purpose of being secretive and-"

"-and now that's why she thinks I was using her to get to Josie." Gilbert finishes Bash's sentence, remembering the night before.

"Gilbert, if you've come here just to apologize I have already told you, it's going to take more than an apology to earn my forgiveness. I need some time, so please allow me to have it." Anne declares, turning her eyes to face the ground.

"Anne, how about I make it up to you tomorrow, I can take you out and I can explain everything, because it's not what you think."

"Gilbert. Are you not listening to me?!" Anne snaps, glaring up at Gilbert, "I just said that I need time. I mean, how would you feel if you were at your sixteenth birthday party and you caught the girl you lik- are friends with kissing someone else. Think of how I feel right now! And even if I wanted to hear what you have to say, which I don't at the moment, I can't, Charlie just asked me out on a date and I accepted."

He jumps up from the bed having put the pieces of the puzzle together, confirming Bash's suspicions.

"Anne is mad at me because I kissed Josie. She specifically said 'how would you feel if you were at your sixteenth birthday party and you caught the girl you lik- are friends with kissing someone else!' Bash did you hear what she said!" Gilbert exclaims, a wide smile on his face. "She confessed to liking me! After all these years I finally heard those amazing words tumble out of her mouth. Of course just my luck it's when she's mad at me, but that shouldn't be a problem once I tell her it's all a misunderstanding because I like her too. It's-"

"Gilbert, if you do that Anne is still going to be mad at you." Gilbert looks up to see Mary standing in the doorway, unknown to him how long she'd been standing there or how much she'd heard of him and Bash's conversation. "If you tell her that you have feelings for her all she's going to think is that you're still using her, or that she isn't enough-"

"But of course she's enough! I would never-"

"But that's not how she's going to see it if you walk over to Green Gables before her date with Charlie and tell her that even though you kissed the other girl you do have feelings for her. She didn't see you not kiss the girl back, but she did see you standing there with your lips on hers not doing anything."

Gilbert stands in silence, every thought of Anne's date with Charlie fading from his brain as fast as his smile.

Mary approaches him, carefully resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Gilbert, I know you don't want to hear this right now, but the only thing Anne needs you to do is nothing. You need to give her time, if she does happen to have a good time with the boy who asked her on the date then you need to let her feel that happiness. I know how strong your feelings are for her, but you do need to put yourself in her shoes. Think about how she's feeling right now, and what would happen if you saw someone you like kissing someone else, whether it was an accident or not."

"But I will be feeling what she's feeling right now if I let her get closer to Charlie!" Gilbert exclaims, running his hands through his unruly curls, frustrated.

"I know this is hard for you, but everything will work itself out eventually. Who knows, maybe another red-haired girl will cross your path and she'll be just as passionate, beautiful, intelligent, and kind as Anne is." Mary states with a smile, trying her best to provide comfort to Gilbert.

"Nobody will ever be as beautiful and intelligent and kind as Anne. Let alone as passionate." Gilbert states, walking out of his bedroom door, his feet pounding against the steps.

Bash's voice travels down the stairs as well.

"Give him time, Mary. He'll cool off eventually."

Gilbert opens the door and steps out the front door, the cool autumn air hitting his skin. He had forgotten a jacket, but he doesn't care, he only cares about getting time to think.

'Why did I have to be so stupid. Why couldn't I just push Josie off of me, it's not like it would've been wrong, she was kissing me! She didn't even ask me, that isn't good manners at all. She has it in for Anne and Anne never did anything to her. How am I just supposed to wait around hoping that Anne's heart finds its way back to me? What if it never does? I'll have to live with my regret. She deserves to know the truth. What if she is just going on the date with Charlie because of what I did? What if this is a test? Knowing Anne she would be smart enough to think of something like this. No. Mary said I should wait. She said Anne needs time to cool off, maybe her going on a date with Charlie will make her realize how much she needs me. But what if she realizes she doesn't really like me and she does like Charlie and then they end up together in the house overlooking the White Way of Delight with two children but instead of the girl having curly black hair and blue eyes she'll have straight brown hair and blue eyes and the boy will have fiery red hair and brown eyes like Charlie's instead of hazel ones like mine.' 

Gilbert continues pacing back and forth on the little porch as he thinks, his mind not taking into account how irrational this thinking really is. After carrying on like this for awhile he decides to take a stroll through the woods, not having realized how much time had passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my beloved readers! I was originally going to make the whole day only one chapter, but my power has been kinda hit or miss so I figured that I can always post this now and continue writing so I guess I should just say keep checking back for updates and additions to this chapter, or if you would prefer I could just start a new chapter (comment your preference). Also, I would love to hear what y'all think is going to happen and what I meant by the last line. Remember, don't be a silent reader! Y'all's comments and kudos all make my day so thank you! Also, if anyone has any ideas about where the story is going in general I would love to hear from you. Just out of curiosity, do any of y'all ship Charlie and Anne? Or are you all Shirbert shippers. Does anyone have an idea as to what Anne and Charlie's ship name could be (just out of curiosity of course). Anyways comment below. Be safe. Love you all.  
> xoxo Julia


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Charlie's date

Gilbert's POV

He whistles as he makes his way through the many trees of the orchard, wind blowing, rustling the almost barren branches. All of the apples had been picked, the ones that had fallen now scattered through the woods, probably rotten by now. He hadn't bothered to check the time, he just had to get out of the house. He had to get away from all of Mary's truthfulness.

"She's right," he says to himself as he steps over a fallen branch on the little dirt path, "I made a mistake, but I also need to give Anne time. If she truly likes me, which she confessed to, she'll realize after today that she isn't meant for Charlie. I just have to be patient. Good things come to those who wait as father always put it, and Anne is the most wonderfully good person I've ever met. She deserves to be happy, even if it isn't with me." He continues talking to himself as he enters into the woods, twigs snapping and leaves crunching under his feet as he rubs his arms, once again his mind registers that he had forgotten a jacket. 

He walks absentmindedly, his focus on all of the trees surrounding him, how they blow in the cool autumn wind, how the leaves fall from the deep brown branches and float through the air to the dirt, splaying over the ground like a blanket. Like Anne, autumn is his favorite season, one of the many things they both have in common. 

Gilbert continues his trek through the woods lost in thought, his curls falling all over his forehead. He walks for a little while longer and finds a log underneath of a tall tree, its bare limbs seeming to reach for the sky.

'I'll go home in a little bit' he tells himself 'I just need more time to think, this fresh air will do me some good.'

He sits on the thick brown log under the tall tree and thinks. But for the first time in a long time he doesn't think about Anne. He thinks about one of his old friends, someone who was always so kind and good, someone he thought would always be on his side no matter what. Charlie. 

Charlie, him, and Moody had been best friends since they were small children, Billy was their friend too, of course, but the many arguments the two boys had gotten into involving the fiery redhead that Billy always used to refer to as the 'ugly orphan' or 'Fido' had caused them to drift apart.

'I should talk to Charlie. Friends shouldn't drift apart because of a girl. He likes her, I've known he liked her since I knew that I liked her, but it was never a problem before. We're almost adults, we need to start acting like them. A civilized conversation would do this situation some good. Anne can choose whoever she wants, because as long as she's friends with me and I'm friends with Charlie everything will be okay.' 

Gilbert resolves that the next time he sees Charlie he's going to apologize. He wasn't sure he had done anything wrong, but it seems as though Charlie is mad at him because he kissed Josie which made Anne upset. Which is understandable as Gilbert had gotten into arguments with Billy over things he'd said and done, but talking to Charlie would help smooth things over.

What Gilbert didn't know was the certain brown haired boy was walking through the same woods heading towards Anne's house to pick her up for the special date he'd put a lot of effort into planning. 

Charlie's POV

"Mom come on it's almost three!" Charlie groans, his mother messing with his hair and shirt. 

"I know, hon, but it's not every day your little boy goes on a date with the girl he's been pining for for years!" His mom squeals, hugging her son careful not to mess up his newly brushed hair and crisp shirt. She adjusts the buttons once more and carefully puts on his coat."Okay, I think you're ready."

"Thank you mom. I'll be back by dinner, okay?

"Okay sweetie, have fun!"

Charlie grabs a picnic basket his mom had helped him get together and rushes out the door, his rapid footfall making the leaves crunch loudly, the wind swirling around his hear, messing it up slightly. He avoids low hanging branches and dense shrubbery as to not ruin the nice shirt he had put on.

'I hope Anne likes this gentleman-like outfit. I want to show her that she deserves only the best. I want her to know that I'll try my best to make her the happiest girl in the world.' Charlie repeats this over and over, the thought replaying in his head, everything holding so much truth. He finally has a chance with Anne, and he doesn't want to mess it up. 

He studies the woods and wishes he could see the beauty in the barren trees and brown soil as Anne can. He doesn't have a vivid imagination like her. He thinks of all her amazing tales of heroic knights and damsels in distress that she so often talks about with her friends, and how much emotion she puts into her poetry recitations.

Charlie thinks back to the night before, how Gilbert had been looking at her. He and Gilbert had always been friends. But seeing Anne hurt like that- because of Gilbert- something inside him just snapped. Charlie knows he shouldn't have been so cruel to Gilbert these past few days. First the scavenger hunt, then the last night. Gilbert's supposed to be his friend.

The picnic basket bounces against his stomach as he continues his trek, the contents shifting around, some of the dishes clattering against others.

'I need to make sure none of this breaks. I probably should stop running too'

Charlie stops abruptly, his feet almost sliding out from under him. He lets out a yell, expecting to fall, before he regains his balance. A tree had stopped his fall. Mumbling under his breath he stands back up straight again, adjusting the basket against him before setting it beside the tree and crouching down. 

The cherry pie is still wrapped in the white towel, the smell of the delicious fruit wafting up from the still warm baked good. Charlie adjusts the blueberry muffins and sugar cookies more nicely. Everything has to be perfect for Anne. 

When Charlie closes the wicker basket and picks it back up he notices a figure in the distance, a boy sitting on a log about 10 meters away. The boy is looking at him, but he's too far away for Charlie to know who he is.

He stands up and continues walking in the direction of Anne's house, his eyes stuck on the boy sitting on the log. As Charlie gets closer he can see the boy's features: curly hair, lean-- Gilbert. The boy is Gilbert. 

'Oh great!' He sighs, staring at Gilbert who's now locked eyes with him. He stands up never breaking eye contact with Charlie, 'He's probably going to punch me just like he did Billy. Not that I don't deserve it- I was very rude to him.' Charlie just stands there, clutching the basket to his side.

"Hey, Charlie," Gilbert says as he approaches, his arms swinging at his sides, his face displaying a solemn expression, "I just wanted to say that-"

"Before you do anything, I'm sorry about how I've been behaving towards you. I just- I know nothing can really excuse the mean things I've said to you but I acted very insensitive to your feelings, when Anne walked back into the ballroom looking so sad I just snapped, and I would understand if you didn't want to be friends anymore-"

"Of course I still want to be your friend, Charlie. I'm sorry too. For-" Gilbert pauses, sucking in a breath, "-for always referring to Anne as mine. It was insensitive of me since I always knew you liked her too." he kicks at a stick and it hits a small pile of leaves with a faint rustling sound.

Both the boys smile and shake each other's hands, Gilbert's is cold in Charlies, but his body has heated to what feels like a million degrees over nervousness for his date with Anne. After a few moments Charlie realizes why he was in the woods in the first place and becomes full of dread once again, because he was going to be late picking up Anne.

"I should uh- be heading to Green Gables to pick up Anne" Charlie says awkwardly, the nervousness wrapping around his stomach when he finishes his short sentence, squeezing his insides.

'Why did I have to say that just now? Why am I such an idiot! I just made up with Gilbert and then I just had to ruin it by mentioning my date with Anne.'

"Yeah, I hope you have a nice-" Gilbert glances down at the large basket in Charlie's hand, sweet smells meeting his nose, "picnic."

"Oh- um- thanks, Gilbert. Have a good afternoon."

With that, Charlie and Gilbert part ways, Charlie adjusts the basket once again, shifting it from his right hand, to his left hand, and then back to his right hand, before speed walking past the log Gilbert was sitting in the direction of the white farmhouse in which his fair maiden resides.

Anne's POV

Anne sits in her room in Green Gables while Cole does her hair. It was becoming more of a daily routine as Cole and her got more acquainted with living together. They had come up with a kind of schedule. Anne would get dressed while Cole brushed his teeth, and then Cole would get dressed while Anne brushed hers. Then if they had extra time Cole would try out new hairstyles with Anne's gorgeous red locks, different buns and braids and half-updos, different curls and waves. Anne loves every minute she spends with Cole, he truly has become like a brother to her.

Today she had plenty of time for Cole to do her hair, and it was a special occasion of course according to Cole, and he was so excited to try something new with Anne's hair. When Anne had returned home from Aunt Josephine's the first thing that Anne did was run into the barn to tell Matthew of the marvelous night she had at Aunt Josephine's, not sparing a single detail, everything from the way that the shiny waxed wood looked underneath of the beautiful autumn chandeliers to the smell of the scrumptious cake (not forgetting to include that Cole was the decorator). 

She felt tears swell in her eyes at the mention of Josie kissing Gilbert, to which Matthew looked quite surprised, but the feeling faded when she brought up Charlie, who had asked her out on a date. Matthew's surprised look heightened at the mention of Charlie, he had never guessed anyone but a certain Gilbert Blythe would be asking his Anne out, but he had come to know that raising children came with many twists and turns and all the more surprises.

After her long speech about the party and a kiss on the cheek the chipper redhead ran back over to Green Gables to relay the whole night again to Marilla. Leaving a surprised Marilla in the kitchen after relaying the part about Charlie Anne races upstairs to Cole who was sitting on the floor reading one of Anne's new poetry books.

"Anne. Can you recite one of these for me when it's my birthday?" he asks, staring up at the redhead who was now standing beside the vanity. 

"Cole, for you I would recite a thousand poems." she replies, turning towards him with a bright smile. The boy stands up and walks over to Anne, throwing his arms around her.

"I love you, Anne," he says, his tone laced with adoration, his voice muffled against her hair.

"I love you too, Cole," she replies before breaking away.

"Can I do your hair? For your date with Charlie, I mean." Cole asks, playing with the ends of her slightly messy braids.

"Do you want to try a new style, or one you've already done before?" Anne asks excitedly, turning around and sitting on the green stool in front of the mirror. Cole smiles behind her, untying the ribbons.

"Something new!" He exclaims, un-weaving the braids with ease, "Now close your eyes."

"Cole, maybe if your wrist never gets better and you can't draw or paint anymore you could try a different form of art-" she pauses, watching his fingers move through her hair, "like hairdressing. A lot of rich ladies would pay a lot of money for you to come and do their hair, you're so good at it!" She says giddily, her shoulders bouncing up and down with every giggle.

"I'm not that good at it, but this hairstyle will definitely not look good if you keep moving!" he jokes, continuing to focus on his task. He grabs a large section of hair in the back and ties it with a elastic band, doing the same with the front two sides as well, twisting the hair back from the face and then putting inn the elastic bands before braiding them and pulling them out. After many twists and hair ties he takes a deep breath.

"Open your eyes now," he says with much excitement. Anne opens her blue eyes and turns around. In a small handheld mirror that was gifted to Anne from Mrs. Lynde Anne can see three braided roses across the back of her head. 

"Cole this is beautiful! I love it!" Anne gushes, turning around to hug Cole, "You really think Charlie likes me? What if it was just a dare or something? Billy was telling me how he was my friend but what if-"

"Anne. Charlie is a perfectly fine boy, but are you sure that this isn't just you doubting if you like him?" Cole suggests, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you suggesting, Cole?" Anne remarks, her eyes locked with Cole's.

"Are you sure you aren't just trying to get back at Gil-"

"Not everything has to be about Gilbert!" Anne contests, moving away from the mirror to walk towards the door. A knock is heard at the door and Anne whips her head around back to Cole. After a moment Marilla's voice is heard.

"Hello Charlie, do come in." Anne looks at Cole and her face is suddenly overcome with nervousness.

"Do I look okay? Did I mess my hair up? Does my dress have any wrinkles? Should I wear my new shoes? What if-"

"Anne you look great. Go have fun okay. I'll be here when you return and want to tell me about it."

"Okay," she says, turning back to the doorway, "bye Cole! I love you!" Anne yells as she leaves the room and walks down the hallway, her footsteps silent against the dark wood.

"I love you too!" Cole's replies. Anne turns the corner before the stairs, she can hear Marilla in the kitchen with Charlie.

The grandfather clock chimes three times, signalling that it's three o'clock. She skips down the stairs, her plain gray dress jounces up and down, her pristine white boots tapping against the wood with many faint 'clicks'.

She looks down over the banister and smiles, Charlie has stopped his light chatter with Marilla and is now standing up beside his wooden chair.

"Hello, Anne." He says with a bow.

Marilla chuckles lightly at the boys slight absurdity.

"I'll leave you two be. Anne, please be back before sunset, and don't eat too many sweets because I expect you to eat supper when you return."

"Okay, Marilla. I'll see you later!" Anne replies as Marilla leaves the kitchen to fetch some eggs from the chicken coop.

Charlie's POV

"So, uh- are you ready to go on our date?" Charlie asks nervously once Marilla shuts the kitchen door, he hadn't been this nervous last night when he asked her on the date, but now his stomach was tied up in so many knots.

'I probably made a fool of myself when I bowed to her. Why did I bow? I've never been on a date before, what if I do something wrong? No, I won't do anything wrong. I'll be a perfect gentleman just like I was last night and I won't do anything too weird or awkward."

"Yes." Anne responds with a smile, "I see you've brought a basket?"

"Oh, um- yeah, I did," he confirms, glancing down at the basket on the table before picking it up, the dishes clanking faintly inside. "I figured we could go on a picnic? You really like being outside so what better place to have a date," he continues, "I helped my mom bake the sweets." He states mustering a little bit of confidence, trying his best to impress her.

"I'm sure they'll be absolutely divine, Charlie." Anne praises, "Do you have a specific picnic spot in mind?" She asks.

"Yes, I do, but I want it to be a surprise, so please, follow me. He walks over to the door, turning the handle, opening the door and holding it for Anne. She walks over to the coat closet and grabs her wool coat, pulling it on.

'Gentleman. Be a gentleman. Gentleman. Be a gentleman.' He repeats over and over in his mind, never wanting to forget his manners during the date.

"Why thank you, Charlie." Anne comments as she walks outside, her dress rustling.

"You're very welcome, Anne," he replies, stepping out into the crisp air. He steps down the few steps and onto the grass, walking towards the road. Anne follows closely behind him.

They walk for a little while, their small talk drifting around them, their voices loud amidst the silence. Nobody was out on the cool November day. 

"Charlie, you never did tell me where we're going, we've been walking for a bit and I want to make sure that we'll have enough time to enjoy our picnic." 

"I promise, we're almost there. I found this spot a few years ago and thought it would be a perfect place for whenever I asked yo- someone on a date. It's so beautiful and calm, I think I'm the only person who knows about it." He steps off the road and walks off into the middle of a field, the dying grass blowing in the wind, its green color fading to a light brown.

"Is this the place?" Anne asks, looking around, a confused expression on her face. Charlie laughs.

"No, Anne, the picnic spot is just past this field." 

So they walk along, Anne searching for this amazing picnic spot Charlie had found. Suddenly, she gasps, for something at the edge of the field had caught her eye. Charlie smirks, she had noticed where they were heading to.

At the edge of the field just a few meters in front of them, a small brook fed into a pond, not as big as the Barry's pond, but beautiful nonetheless. The afternoon sunlight reflecting off the clear surface of the water, a few fish and rocks glinting under it. The brook gurgling lightly, the water moving slowly. A few trees line the banks, their branches creating a kind of archway over top of it, the red autumn leaves still attached to the branches. 

Charlie sets the picnic blanket down on a small patch of grass at the trunk of one of the trees, the blanket close enough to the river to see the bubbles from the colorful fish rising to the surface. 

"This is magnificent, Charlie!" Anne exclaims, in awe of the beauty of her surroundings. A few squirrels scurry about, collecting acorns that had fallen from the trees above. 

"I found it a few years ago, I stumbled across it when I was hunting with my dad." he sets down the basket and takes out the treats before continuing. " I thought it would be a place you would want to see, granted you love nature and all. It sounds like the scenery from your stories you're always telling."

"This landscape provides so much scope for the imagination," she adds, her eyes caught on the beautiful ripples coming from the small pond, the way that the sun's reflection moves over the water capturing her attention.

"I made a cherry pie, blueberry muffins, and sugar cookies. I hope you like them." He states, nervousness beginning to fill him again.

'I should have asked her what her favorite sweets are. What if she doesn't like anything I made?' He bites his cheek nervously, wringing his hands in front of him as he sits down on the cool grass.

'I forgot a blanket!' He realizes suddenly, resisting the urge to smack his forehead in frustration.

Anne sits down next to him, unfazed by the missing picnic blanket.

"I love sugar cookies, and I used to bake pies with Mr. Dunlop whenever he was available before he turned out to be a bad man...." she trails off, staring at the basket, lost in thought. Charlie furrows his brows, he had forgotten about the borders that had stayed with the Cuthbert's a few years ago. The two men had caused a lot of problems in Avonlea before they were caught. Anne speaks again after a few moments, her voice returning to its normal cheery tone, " I can't wait to taste your pie, Charlie, I'm sure it's absolutely divine." She adds with a smile, her eyes glittering.

"Thank you, Anne." Charlie replies, blushing slightly, as he reaches into the basket to grab the plates, forks, and the knife to cut the pie. With a faint cracking sound the knife cuts through the layer of crust on the top, the smell drifting through the wind. Charlie grabs Anne's plate, placing the first piece of pie on it. He motions to the cookies and muffins as well. Anne grabs her plate from Charlie and then a cookie and a small muffin, eager to try the desserts Charlie had made just for her. Charlie then cuts a slice of pie for himself, grabbing the other muffin and a cookie from the other dishes.

Charlie watches as Anne takes a small bite of her pie, still nervous that something would be wrong with it.

'What if I didn't follow mother's instructions properly? What if I added too much sugar or didn't make the filling very well?' Nervousness constricts his insides once again and he holds his breath, waiting for Anne to say something.

"Charlie, this pie is scrumptious! This is the best cherry pie I have ever tasted, but don't tell Marilla I told you that. You made this yourself?!" Anne remarks, looking at Charlie. 

All at once his nervousness subsides, a feeling of accomplishment and joy replacing it.

'Anne likes it! She likes the pie I made! I know my mother told me it would turn out fine, but she hadn't tasted it and she's my mom so of course she wouldn't say anything that would hurt my feelings.'

"I'm glad you like it, Anne. Yes, I did make it myself, I just followed my mother's recipe." He states, happiness radiating off him like heat from the sun.

"You could be a baker, Charlie! You would be the best one in Avonlea! Imagine how many lavish parties you could make sweets for, the weddings, celebrations, important events. It would be so thrilling!"

Charlie laughs, amused by Anne's comment on a possible career.

"I'm glad you like my baking, but I don't think that would be a good fit for a boy."

Anne stops chewing and puts her muffin down, her eyes going wide.

"I beg your pardon?" She asks, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Hm?" Charlie muses, putting his fork down against his plate, his gaze meeting Anne's.

"You said that baking wouldn't be a good job for a boy." Anne states.

"I think I would be better suited for manual labor, as most men are. I think women are more better suited for baking. They do cook and bake at home after all while the men work.I did use my mother's recipe after all." he replies, emphasizing the word mother to better validate his point.

Anne narrows her eyes at his comment, biting her cheek.

"Men are just as capable of baking as women, and women are just as capable of manual labor as men are, Charlie." She objects, her gaze still fixed on him. She pushes her plate forward, the half eaten cookie still sitting on the plate with the pie and the untouched blueberry muffin, the fork sliding around on the smooth porcelain. Charlie sits on the ground silently, his eyes downcast, the nervous feeling returning. "Thank you for the wonderful picnic but I do believe it's time for me to head back to Green Gables." She says tersely, her voice lacking the passion it usually holds.

"Anne, wait!" he calls after her, frantically trying to put everything back in the basket, "I didn't- I didn't mean it like that!" after a few moments he runs after her, leaving the picnic basket and desserts behind.

'I'll come back for those later. I need to fix this.'

Anne doesn't stop walking, she doesn't even cast a glance back at the panicking boy. 

"Anne!" he calls again, his voice pleading with her. She stops, whipping around to face him.

"All of you boys are the same," she states calmly, catching Charlie by surprise given her current state, "you have the same mentality towards women as your fathers and all the men before you. What if we don't want to cook and clean anymore? Have any of you ever thought about that?" her voice loses its sense of calm as she continues on, making it evident to charlie that she was agitated with him. "I did plenty of manual labor when I lived with the Hammonds, more than just cooking and cleaning. Since I've lived at Green Gables I've done significantly less of it, but hard work nonetheless, and that doesn't make me any less capable of doing so than I was when I was younger. I want to go to college, I'm going to be a teacher. I'm going to wear pants everywhere I go, and I won't put on those dreaded corsets because a woman's figure shouldn't matter so much. Tillie, Jane, Ruby, Diana, and every other girl in Avonlea is competent and beautiful just the way she is, and we're all capable of pursuing what we wish to." She makes eye contact with him, her blue eyes as fiery as her hair, so much passion seeping out of her, "so I'm sorry if you don't want to be a baker because it's so far beneath you, but don't think it's a women's job because we're just as capable of success outside of a home as men are." With that she continues on, her speech leaving Charlie at a loss for words, which in this moment seems to Charlie both a good thing and a very bad thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies. Do y'all like this little plot twist? It's been in the making for a little bit, and since you guys don't like Charlie and Anne together I figured I would do it sooner rather than later. Though full disclosure, I will stick to what I said in one of my previous comments or notes (I can't remember which or if I even said it): Gilbert and Anne's relationship will not be fixed right away. Though I do have big plans for them. Sorry for the shorter-ish chapters, I've been a little stressed with school lately but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I think I'm going to start asking a few questions at the end of every chapter to get a feel of what you guys like (related to AWAE and and other stuff too) so without further adieu...
> 
> 1) Favorite movie/book/TV Show?
> 
> 2) What do you guys like/dislike about this story so far?
> 
> 3) Favorite singer/band?
> 
> 4) What do you think will happen in the next chapter?
> 
> xoxoxo Julia  
> PS. If you notice any grammar mistakes just point them out to me and I'll fix them, I only did a brief runthrough of this chapter because I didn't want y'all to have to wait too long for this, and sorry for the slower-ish updates as well.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the date

Anne's POV

Anne walks back down the road, her mind replaying what Charlie had said.

"Why are boys so arrogant? Charlie telling me that he shouldn't be a baker because he's a boy and that's a girl's job... Hahaha. Last time I checked I beat everyone in the spelling bee, but if that's how he feels then that's fine. Who needs boys anyway? Certainly not me. I, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert am a strong, independent, and intelligent young woman. I'll show these idiotic boys what I'm made of."

She makes her way through the gate of Green Gables. Jerry and Matthew are specks in the distant fields beside the barn, their voices faint over the large distance, but Anne can tell that Matthew and Jerry are working on the fence, it's been in need of repairs for a little bit now. But Anne doesn't make her way over to them, her mind is preoccupied with the how the date with Charlie had turned out.

With a deep breath she ascends the front steps of Green Gables, her boots tapping against the wood. Cole must've heard her from in the kitchen because Anne hears a chair grind against the floor of the kitchen and rapid footsteps coming towards the door. Anne can hear Marilla inside, she must be talking to Cole. Cole responds, his voice muffled through the closed door, before opening it, a confused expression on his face. 

Cole's POV

"I wonder how Anne's date with Charlie is going?" he asks Marilla as she pours him some afternoon tea.

"I don't know, Cole, but I bet she's having fun. Probably chatting poor Charlie's ear off," she jokes, turning back towards the stove to begin preparing dinner. 

"Do you want any help with dinner, Mrs. Cuthbert?" he asks, taking a sip of his hot tea. 

"Thank you for the offer, you can help me with the vegetables. Can you please get out the kitchen knife, and put a pot of water on the stove. Then grab the carrots and cut them and do the same with the green beans, I got them fresh from the market yesterday. Once you're done cutting them up, put them in the boiling water with a little bit of butter." She instructs, cutting up the chicken and pouring a variety of seasonings over it.

"Okay, just let me finish my last cup of tea."

"No rush, take your time. Dinner isn't for another hour or two, we have to wait for Anne after all."

As if on que there's a knock at the door.

Cole pushes his chair backwards, a grinding sound echoes through the room.

"Goodness, Cole, you couldn't be more quieter?" Marilla exclaims, her hands moving to cover her ears as she cringes, the sound akin to nails on a chalkboard. 

"Sorry Marilla, but I'm dying to hear about Anne's date with Charlie." Cole responds, walking swiftly to the door. 

"I don't know, Cole, she's back quite early. It's only 5 o'clock, she still has another hour before sunset. I thought she would chat his ear off, but I never expected the date to end so early."

"Me neither," he turns the doorknob quickly, yanking the door open, "Anne?" he asks, his eyebrows furrowing, "What are you doing home so early? There's still another hour or so until sunset. Did your date go okay?" Cole moves aside to let Anne in, the girl's expression full of anger, her lips pursed.

Anne doesn't answer, she just stomps inside, she pulls off her boots before stomping upstairs, muttering something about boys.

"Cole you should probably go talk to her, I'm not so good at giving her advice, I learned that years ago talking to her about how being plain looking was better. Don't worry about helping with dinner, there are more important things for you to attend to. Now hurry on." Marilla shoos Cole away, and he runs up the stairs to their room, the door is shut and Cole can hear Anne talking.

He enters the room, and Anne is standing in front of the mirror again, just as she was earlier before her date. But instead of a happy face, her expression is full of rage, her eyes are ablaze and full of scorn.

"I'm guessing the date with Charlie didn't go well." Cole states the obvious, Anne still not responding.

"Did it turn out to be a prank after all?" Cole asks, Anne still silent.

"Was it Gilbert? Did he ruin the date?" Cole wracks his brain to come up with a reason as to why Anne would be so angry. 

Cole sits in silence, waiting for Anne to turn around and talk to him. After a few moments, just as Cole was going to guess again Anne sighs sharply, answering Cole's first question.

"My date didn't go well. Charlie is an conceited and arrogant fool and today he showed his true colors." She answers, her voice filled with anger. Cole is stunned, he hadn't expected anything to come of this date, as he is certain Anne still has feelings for Gilbert, but he would never in his wildest dreams have predicted that this date would result in Anne being angry with him. 

"What happened exactly?" Cole asks, walking towards where Anne is standing, laying a hand on her shoulder. So Anne answers the question in as much detail as possible, quoting Charlie's responses to her proposed career almost word for word, Cole's mouth creating a very wide 'o' shape.

"Wow..." he mutters under his breath once Anne finishes. 

'Charlie had seemed like such a nice, genuine boy. Maybe not the one for Anne, but I guess my opinion is a little biased because of how much I like Gilbert. How could he say something like that, does he not know Anne? She is always talking about how girls can do everything boys can do.'

"He doesn't deserve you, Anne. No boy should ever say that to a woman, someday we'll all have equal rights and you'll be able to accomplish so much in the world."

"Boys are fools." Anne states confidently, earning a laugh from Cole.

"I'm offended," he jokes, his loud remark causing Anne to laugh.

Anne stops laughing and stares into Cole's blue orbs.

"Cole," she says softly, "sometimes I feel like you're the only person I can talk to about everything and know that you'll understand. You always know what to do and what to say..." she trails off, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"What about Diana, she's your bosom friend? Or Ruby?" Cole asks, confused as to why Anne would choose talking to him over her other friends.

"Diana and Ruby are so beautiful and they will have ever so many suitors in the next couple of years. But me-" her voice catches in her throat, her happiness fading. She tips her head down, all the confidence and self love she had developed crumbling away.

"Anne." Cole states firmly, lifting up Anne's chin so he could look her in the eye. "I may not like girls, but I can say this without a doubt: All these silly boys that live in Avonlea are fools if they can't see how absolutely amazing you are. You're the smartest girl in school, your red hair is fascinating and makes you stand out in a crowd. You stand up for yourself which is an admirable quality and shows that you know your worth, even if it's only subconsciously. You are respectful, responsible, and so kind. And your imagination and vocabulary are amazing. You truly are what every boy wants, even if he doesn't know it. You are a divine young woman, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, and don't ever tell yourself otherwise. So what Charlie is stuck in the past when it comes down to what women are capable of-- he's a fool to think that you would ever sink to that level. You are going to be a teacher, and wear trousers, and attend college, and you are going to find a handsome, kind, humorous, intelligent young man who is just as much of an advocate for women and what they deserve as you are, and maybe then all the boys who ever passed you by will realize just how much they truly want someone like you."

Tears drip down Anne's face as she takes in what Cole is saying. She can't find the words to say so instead she envelopes her friend in the tightest hug she can, burying her face into his shirt. When they break away from their embrace the shoulder of Cole's shirt is dampened from Anne's salty tears and she quickly wipes the remnants of them off her freckled cheeks.

"Thank you, Cole." she states, her voice breaking slightly.

"Anything for you, Anne, but no need to thank me, that's what friends are for. You shouldn't ever settle for less than you deserve, and you deserve everything in the whole world."

Anne laughs, "I wouldn't say I deserve everything-"

"Yes you do." Cole states with a smile, his eyes daring Anne to say anything different.

They both laugh again, Anne's mood having improved significantly.

"So, what do you want to do before dinner?" Cole asks.

"I would like to go see Jerry, I feel like I haven't talked to him in forever."

Cole laughs, "Anne you just talked to him earlier on the carriage ride here!" They both laugh again, Anne making her way to the door.

"But much has happened since this morning, and he's like my other brother I need to tell him everything!" Cole continues laughing as he follows her down the hallway.

Jerry's POV

Matthew's laughing echoes through the barn as they both shovel hay into wheelbarrows, preparing to take it to the horses in the stables. They had fewer tasks now that it was November, having already harvested many of their crops and readied their fields for the upcoming drop in temperature with the approach of winter. 

"Do you want to take a break?" Matthew asks, they had been working nonstop for the last few hours, trying to finish up everything before the sunset as they were losing daylight earlier and earlier as they approached winter. They had only a few more hours of daylight left, but shoveling the hay was their last job of the day, other than a few minor repairs to the fence and some of the stall doors, but that could wait until tomorrow, they had been working hard all day.

"Sure, Mr. Cuthbert, if you would like to take a break you can. I think I'll keep working."

"Are you sure, Jerry? You work so hard every day that you're here, I think you deserve to take a short break and relax."

"Okay, Mr. Cuthbert, I could use this time to work on my spelling and reading. Anne says I've made so much improvement and that if I had the time to go to school that I would really excel at it." 

His smile is brighter than the sun as he beams with pride at Matthew, so proud of the progress he's made through the years. He remembers the first card he ever made, it was a Christmas card for Anne, he still cringes thinking about how he forgot the trademark 'E' in her name. Once he realized his mistake he vowed that would be the one word he would always be sure to spell right, etching her name into the dirt of the loft in the barn over and over until it was ingrained into his memory. He has made so ever so many cards since then, always making sure to give them to his family, using them to teach his sisters after Anne's lessons. Sometimes Anne meets Jerry and his sisters in her hideout in the woods and teaches them there, but whenever she can't she trusts that Jerry will do just as good of a job. She said she wants to make sure to give his sisters just as much of an opportunity to accomplish things in the world. Jerry has big news for Anne, something he had been waiting to reveal for a long time. Someone Anne is very fond of would be stopping by Green Gables today, Marilla and Matthew and are so excited for Anne to meet the extra special visitor, and had invited them all to dinner, Miss Cuthbert said she would make sure that Anne would be back from her date by sunset.

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes," Matthew says before opening the doors to the barn with a loud creak. Jerry begins to climb up the ladder to the loft, taking a book out of his satchel. After a few moments of reading he hears Matthew's voice again. 

"Where are you kids headed off to?"

"We're going to see Jerry!" Jerry hears Anne's voice and smiles, placing his book back in his small cubbyhole, climbing back down the ladder to see Anne.

"Hello, Anne!" he calls as he continues to descend the latter, Anne and Cole walking into the barn with smiles on their faces.

"Hi, Jerry!" Anne says as she runs over to the ladder and embraces him. 

"I have news." They both say at once, Jerry with a huge smile on his face, and Anne wearing a serious expression.

"You go first." They both say together once again. Jerry coughs.

"My date with Charlie didn't go very well," Anne begins, with a serious expression she retells the events of their picnic date, Jerry astonished by Charlie's comment about women.

"Anne you are the most capable person that I know, you can do anything that you set your mind to." he states, still holding Anne's gaze.

"I know that Jerry, and you two," she motions to him and Cole, "are my two favorite boys in the world, besides Matthew of course." She lets out a little laugh

"I have two things I wanted to tell you," he smiles again, taking Anne's hand.

"Okay, you go first," Anne replies, locking eyes with him.

"You've been of so much help to my sisters and I, and well-- My parents decided that they're going to allow me to attend school. Valérie and Lina too, they'll be in class with Minnie May!" Jerry is practically bursting with joy, Anne's face is overcome with joy because of the impact she had made on the Baynard family, finally they would be able to go to school. "My parents said that though we'll be working less we'll still be able to work after school and on the weekends so it shouldn't be too much of an impact on our income, and now that my two oldest brothers are working on the docks they'll be getting a little bit more pay."

"Jerry that's amazing! I'm so happy for you! We can go to school together, and you can walk home with Cole and I before helping Matthew, it'll be absolutely sublime! Now, what was the other thing you wanted to tell me?"

His smile grows even wider as he begins to disclose the news he had been waiting for what seemed like eternity to reveal. 

"My sister, Mariette, you've helped her so much and- well- she-"

There's a knock on the barn door and Anne turns around to see the tall young woman standing there with her husband, Felix.

"Bonjour, Anne," the woman says with a thick French accent.

"Mariette! What are you doing here?!" Anne screams joyously as she runs over to her, enveloping her in a hug. Suddenly two other girls' voices are heard along with the wail of a baby. The two girls, Lina and Valérie walk into the barn along with Jerry's mother and father. 

"Mariette, I was wondering why I hadn't seen you in months! We've missed you at our lessons, your sisters have been doing so well!"

"I've missed you, Anne but I wanted her to be a surprise," with that she motions to the basket. Jerry watches as Anne rushes over to it, "Oh she's beautiful!" Anne coos as she reaches down to touch the infant. Jerry sees Mariette smile, knowing what she was about to say. His sister reaches down into the basket lifts up her baby, the girls brown locks falling over her light forehead, her deep brown eyes glancing around the room with a kind of infantile curiosity, eager to survey her surroundings. 

"What's her name?" Anne asks joyously.

"Well, Anne," Mariette begins, a smile present on her pink lips, "Felix and I put a lot of thought into this, and we decided that since you are the reason that I ever learned to read and write, and that you are the reason that I was able to get a job at the bank, which is where I met my wonderful husband, it was only appropriate that we name her something that would show how appreciative we are of you. Our precious gem is named Anne-Marie."

"Oh my goodness!" Anne exclaims, "I-I-" Jerry laughs.

"For the first time in the worlds existence Ms. Anne Shirley-Cuthbert is at a loss for words," he jokes, earning a high five from Cole. His family bursts into laughter as Matthew returns.

"Marilla sent me to tell you that dinner is ready," he announces with a smile, the large group heading out of the barn and across the field to the house, the baby babble and cricket chirps filling the air as twilight approaches, the stars coming out of their daytime slumber, visible in the darkened evening sky.

Anne's POV

The dinner Marilla had prepared was fantastic, and throughout the whole meal all Anne could think about was how much she had helped the Baynard's. Mariette had gotten a job because of Anne's teaching, and now Jerry and his two younger sisters were going to be able to attend school. Even when it was time for her to say goodbye to little Anne-Marie Anne couldn't help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello my beloved readers!
> 
> Seeing as how the whole me asking questions and you guys answering didn't really take off I guess that's the end of that. I'm sorry for the late chapter, but I've been quite busy this past week and hadn't had time for writing, but I promise that I'll be back on schedule for another update on Wednesday of next week. Do you like the story so far? I know this chapter is a lot shorter than all the others but I didn't want you guys to have to wait too long. I do have one question that I would love for you to answer:
> 
> Who's POV would you like to see more of? Comment your preference.
> 
> xoxoxoxoxo Julia


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of Jerry's first day of school

Gilbert's POV

The birds twitter overhead as Gilbert trudges along the snowy path, his mind occupied with thoughts of Anne and the coming of winter. The late-November air is chilled, Gilbert's wool coat blowing in the breeze as he passes by the place where he first met Anne all those years before, he remembers how she looked at Billy with so much fear, and how he looked at her with so much disdain, so much had changed since then. 

His morning walk to school has been quiet, he left later than usual as he was up late the night before trying to come up with a well thought out plan to get Anne to forgive him. He takes a deep breath as the schoolhouse comes into view, phase one of his plan to make it up to her will commence today and every single day after until she forgives him. He had written it all down and put the pieces of paper in his pocket, but knowing Anne he would have to summarize it all for her because there's no way she's going to let him pour his heart out to her after what he did. 

He also came to the conclusion after talking with Mary and Bash that he should speak to Josie, the wretched girl went too far- and all for what? The attention? All she got was negative attention and dismissal from the party. Gilbert is still outraged, he finally had mustered up the courage to ask Anne on a date and Josie has to go and mess everything up. 

Gilbert is suddenly filled with sadness, his heart drops as he remembers Charlie and Anne's date-- he hadn't spoken to Charlie since they talked to each other in the woods before his date. He's been trying so hard to be supportive of Charlie, he's liked Anne for as long as Gilbert- but in his mind Anne will always be his- even if Charlie goes on a million more dates with Anne- but Gilbert secretly hopes that won't happen, even though he would never tell Charlie that. 

'I do hope their date went well, even though I don't think they belong together, I would never want Charlie to have to go through the heartbreak that I'm experiencing right now.-' he stops himself- he can't focus on Charlie, he has his own plans with Anne, and he is full of hope. It doesn't matter to him whether she forgives him today, tomorrow, next week, or even next year. He would wait an eternity for her. Ever since he met her on the path to school he knew that she was special, like nobody he'd ever met before.

The schoolchildren's chatter carries in the breeze as he walks amidst the icy field, The grass glistening underneath of it, casting off a green sparkle underneath of the morning sun, crunching under his boots. His peers are all talking about Anne's party and how beautiful Anne looked, how much fun it was, and the hot topic-- what had happened between Gilbert and Josie. Gossip is not foreign to Avonlea, and the Avonlea schoolchildren definitely help news travel fast.

He takes a deep breath, trying not to let the chatter get to him-- he's a man with a plan. He focuses his gaze ahead of him, the door to the schoolhouse in his sight, he has a whole week ahead of him and he's determined to use every waking moment trying to impress Anne, he's going to try his best to make it up to her, even though kissing Josie wasn't really his fault he also didn't do anything to prevent it. 

Gilbert's stomach turns at the thought of the kiss. 

'I can't believe my first kiss was with Josie Pye of all people. I had imagined it happening so many ways but never in a million years would I have pictured it happening with Josie. She may be pretty, but her beauty is only skin deep.'

"Hey Gilbert!" Charlie calls from by a tree. He's standing with Moody and Billy, all three of them staring at Gilbert with smiles. Gilbert smiles and walks over. 

"Hey Charlie, how'd your date go with Anne?" he asks, asking the question that had been swirling around his brain since he found out about it yesterday morning. But Charlie's smile fades fast, his lips quirking down into a frown. 

"Oh- well- um- I said something I shouldn't have a-and I didn't mean it the way it came out and now Anne is... well she's-" Moody doesn't wait for him to finish,

"She's mad at him."

Charlie sighs and looks at Moody,

"Thanks, bud." He remarks, rolling his eyes before turning back to Gilbert, explaining what happened.

"I made desserts for our picnic and she really liked them, so she said I should be a baker, and said I could make desserts for all these important events, and I was so stupid and told her that baking was a girls job and then she did this whole speech about how women can do everything men can do and that all the boys are the same, thinking that women are just supposed to cook and clean. Then she went home. I tried to stop her but-"

Gilbert interrupts him. "-but she didn't listen." He laughs, not a humorous laugh but a sad one, he knows exactly what it feels like for Anne to be angry with someone. Charlie laughs too, the same sad laugh.

"I guess I was a little hard on you at her party. I know you kissing Josie wasn't all your fault, and even though I already apologized I still feel horrible. I wasn't a very good friend to you. We've both messed up with Anne and-"

Billy makes a retching sound, making Moody break into a fit of laughter.

"As much as I would love to stay and watch this momentous event I'm going to go and see how Anne's doing as she's walking through the field right now with her two trusty men. I must say it's going to be very hard to replace those fine boys in Anne's eyes. At this rate she'll forgive the both of you by the time you're on your death beds while she stands with husband which I'm almost positive will be either Cole or Jerry." He snickers as he walks off, and as much as Gilbert would love to be angry at his comments, as they were a bit offensive, he finds himself laughing right along with Charlie and Moody.

Jerry's POV

He wakes up bright and early, just as he normally does every day and makes sure to wake his sisters as well, but today is different. 

"Lina! Valérie! Time to get ready for school!" He whisper shouts as he shakes them, their groans fill their small bedroom. The bedsheets rustle as they roll over. "Aren't you excited! You get to go to school! So many opportunities in the future for us! I can't believe it"

Lina laughs "Il est si tôt!"

Valérie nods, "Le soleil ne sourit pas encore."

Jerry laughs too, "Your teachers will want to hear your English, Jerry raises his eyebrows at them.

Lina laughs again, her french accent heavy, "It's so early."

"The sun isn't smiling yet." Valérie repeats in English.

He smiles, "You two are going to do so well in school, but you'll never be able to show them how smart you are if you don't get up!" The two girls giggle as the sheets are ripped off of them. They jump off the bed and run over to the small dresser in the corner of the room. They take out their nicest dresses, the ones that are usually reserved for church. They're still plainer than most of the dresses the other girls wear, but they don't have any tears or patches.

"I see you two are going to make a lasting first impression. Anne's friend Diana's little sister Minnie May will be in your class, she's going to love you, and so will all the other students. Just remember to be yourselves. Now you should hurry and put on your dresses so that we can get going. I got up extra early so I could be dressed before I woke you up."

"Okay Jerry!" The twins say in unison pushing Jerry out of the room to get dressed. 

He laughs, getting out the bread and jam to make sandwiches for him and his sisters. They're supposed to meet Anne and Cole in the woods outside Green Gables to walk to school together. He pulls out three woven baskets his mother made them, the girls' having beautiful ribbons, Valérie's is dark purple and Lina's is light blue. He puts the jam sandwiches inside them, along with a jug of water and an apple. 

The room door shuts and his sisters step out, their beautiful dresses ruffling around them, their nicest shoes clicking against the wooden floor.

"You look lovely, are you ready to leave?"

"Let's go say goodbye to Mama and Papa!" Lina calls, grabbing Valérie and Jerry's hands and running over to the other side of the room, opening up the door to their parent's bedroom.

"Vous deux êtes très belle!" Their mother exclaims embracing them. After many kisses and hugs with her two young daughters she looks up at Jerry, "You're so grown up now. May school give you many opportunities." Her French accent is thick and her English is still a work in progress, but she's gotten better with time.

"Have a good day at school." Their father says, taking all three of them into his arms and kissing their heads. 

"Papa!" The two girls fall into a fit of laughter, "You're going to mess up our hair!" They wriggle themselves out of his grip and they exit the small apartment.

The two girls chatter the whole way there, but Jerry doesn't pay too much attention, he keeps running through all the smart things he's learned from Anne, all the words and the math equations. He wants to prove that he belongs in school, that he isn't just some farm boy. The walk to Anne's house is short, the three of them reaching the gates just as Anne and Cole come racing out, their own lunch baskets swinging around with their books and slates. 

"Jerry! Jerry!" Anne calls, her excited voice ringing out over the fields as she dashes towards the gate, Cole struggling to keep up without dropping everything. Anne opens the gate and runs over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Good morning to you too, Anne," he replies, wrapping his arms around his redheaded friend. He's so excited to be able to spend more time with her.

Cole laughs, "sorry to interrupt this special moment but I think we should probably get going. Jerry's going to need time to get settled in the classroom and meet Miss Stacey."

"Oh, yes. We should get going," Anne replies, loosening her grip on Jerry. She holds out her hands for Valérie and Lina but they decline with bright smiles, grabbing onto each other's hands instead. Anne looks at Jerry and grabs his hand, practically dragging him behind her. She grabs onto Cole too, both boys laughing.

"We should've made a break for it while we could," Jerry jokes between laughs.

"If I didn't know any better I would think she's forcing you to go to school like she is for me," Cole says with a smirk, meeting Anne's hard gaze as they walk through the woods.

"You can't just hide in Green Gables and pretend you live in Enchantia' she states.

"Anne- um- I think that's what you do...." he replies with a smirk, trying to stifle his laughter with a coughing fit. Suddenly Anne starts laughing, letting go of both boys' hands and breaking into a run. "Race you there!" she yells.

Jerry looks at Cole, "Guess we better catch up. Come on girls! Let's see if you can beat the boys, because obviously none of us are going to beat Anne." he says with a laugh, the redhead having disappeared in the path of barren trees.

"Un! Deux! Trois!-"

"What does that even mean!" Cole yells back, but it's too late.

Aller!" Lina yells and suddenly her, Jerry, and Valérie race past him. 

"Cheaters!" Cole yells with a laugh, running to catch up with the three of them.

After a few minutes of running, and catching up with a tired Anne the group reaches the field before the schoolhouse. Anne once again grabs Jerry and Cole's hands, her basket and school supplies moving up and down her arm as she walks.

Cole looks back at Jerry's sisters, "You two are fast." 

"Merci, Cole" Valérie replies, "we used to play all the time in the woods, tag and races."

"Your French accents are beautiful." His compliment earns a giggle from them both, whispering in each other's ears.

Jerry's new classmates' laughter carries over the field, he recognizes some of them from the party. He hears the boy named Billy joking around with Gilbert and Charlie before he turns and begins to walk towards them. 

Billy's POV

"Hey Anne!" Billy calls out louder than needed.

"Hi Billy!" Anne responds, running over to him, Cole and Jerry still in tow, two small girls he hadn't noticed before following behind them.

"Hi Jerry, what are you doing here?" he asks, wondering why Anne's farmhand is walking with her and Cole to school.

"I'm attending school now. My parents noticed how much better my sisters and I have been doing since Anne's been teaching us and decided that if we got an education we would be able to get better jobs when we get older, and Mr. Cuthbert said he would pay me the same amount even though I would only be doing a half-days work. So I can get payed and get an education, it's just so fantastic. And yes, I used the word 'fantastic'-" he turns to Anne with the biggest grin Billy had seen since Gilbert used to stare at her across the room, a small smile playing about his own lips as he listens to Jerry "- my vocabulary has improved so much thanks to Anne, and I can't wait to be able to use all the words I learned using the dictionary I read, and all the math that Anne taught me too."

Billy smiles, "You're going to be the second smartest kid in class, Jerry. After me of course."

"In your dreams Andrews," she says with a laugh, "come on Jerry, I'm sure Miss Stacey is excited to meet you. See you in class, Billy!" She says as she links arms with Jerry and Cole, the trio walking towards the steps.

He walks back towards the tree at his other favorite trio, the three boys staring at him, evidently having tried to listen to the conversation he had with Anne.

"Did she say anything about either of us?" Charlie asks, his voice nervous.

"Nope." He responds, something between relief and sadness crossing the two boy's faces, Moody inching away awkwardly, having spotted Delilah.

Billy sighs, 'All these love-struck boys, we've all grown up so much over the years, such a shame so much has to change so fast.' To Billy even though he's now sixteen he's been different than all of his friends. All of them have had eyes on women since they were younger, even his older sister dated in school, and he's sure she has a beau now that she's in college. But he hasn't found a girl that's caught his eye, and it makes him feel a little left out. As he stares at his three friends, all of them fawning over girls, he feels uncomfortable. He was always a bully so everyone assumed he would end up with dreadful Josie Pye, but after his unexpected change of heart he isn't sure exactly what his future looks like.

He always thought he would end up with some beautiful girl that would cook him meals and clean his farm house while he tends to the fields, but Anne inspired him. She helped to cultivate dreams to move to the city, maybe even to America because New York shows a lot of promise, and there must be so many amazing Anne-like girls there, all aspiring to be someone important in the city of innovation. He wants a woman who will have an opinion, someone fearless and intelligent, caring and hardworking. He doesn't want to be with Anne, of course, they're just friends. 

After standing there staring off into space for a bit longer than normal, in almost an Anne-like daydream he finds Gilbert and Charlie staring at him, concerned. He laughs, "I'll talk to you guys later, I'm going to go inside." He quickly walks away from his two friends, going up the steps into the schoolhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my beloved readers. I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. October is definitely my busiest month of the year for me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 
> 
> xoxoxo Julia


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the suuuuuuuper late update, my family just recently went through the loss of one of my uncles, and I've been so caught up in the mass amount of school work my teachers have been giving because of finals buuuuuutttt I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

Jerry's POV

The children's chatter travels through the schoolhouse as Anne puts her things down, her coat hanging on the little wooden hook. Jerry is standing beside her, the widest smile on his face as he survey's the room, taking in every little detail.

"This is amazing Anne!" he says, his brown eyes wide, "To think you get to enjoy this luxury every day! This is a dream come true!"

Anne laughs, "It is magnificent, isn't it?"

"Take your seats please!" Miss Stacey calls to the students from the doorway, urging them to quiet down so she can begin the class.

"It seems to me like we have a new student this morning. Mister Jerry Baynard," she says with a smile, "would you like to introduce yourself to your new classmates?" she asks, a smile present on her lips.

Anne urges him forward, and soon enough he's walking up to the front of the schoolhouse, taking in the sight of his classmates before him. It's a mental picture he'll never forget. 

"Most of you know me from Anne's magnificent party," he begins with a smile, "but I'm Jerry Baynard. I used to work with Anne's father, Mr. Cuthbert on their farm." A couple of boys snicker.

"Farmboy," is whispered around, a few children, including Josie Pye, making fun of him.

"Why don't you all be quiet and let the poor boy finish," Billy remarks, casting a cruel glance over his shoulder at Josie. She rolls her eyes, turning her attention back to Jerry.

He takes a gulp of air, his palms becoming clammy.

'Maybe I should just go sit down'

"Jerry, are you finished?" Miss Stacey asks, eyeing the few children who made fun of him as if to say 'If you don't want to spend the afternoon pounding out the erasers I would keep my mouth shut'. 

"I- uh- yeah. Lot's of important learning to do!" he says happily, earning more snickers from students.

Billy motions for Jerry to sit next to him in the front, as Cole was in the back with Gilbert.

"It's okay, Jerry," Billy says to him as he sits down, "those kids are losers anyway."

Jerry stifles a laugh, Billy could be really nice when he wanted to be.

"Okay class," Miss Stacey begins, "it's time to read a few poems."

In not even a second Anne's hand shoots up, "Please Miss Stacey, I would love to read a few that I read just recently in the book my dear Diana gifted me. I promise I will pour my heart and soul into these recitations. I-" Miss Stacey laughs,

"Of course, Anne. Just don't take too long with them. We have a lot of information to cover today."

Anne pushes her chair back, her red hair gleaming in the mid-morning sun as she walks up to the front of the room, standing in front of the blackboard. 

Jerry smiles at her, admiring her confidence in front of her peers.

'Someday, I'll be able to have that much confidence. Someday, it'll be me up in the front of the classroom reciting poetry. Someday, I'll be as smart as Anne.'

Anne's POV

"I would like to read a poem by Michael Field,"

She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as if to picture the poem in her head. 

"A Girl,

Her soul a deep-wave pearl

Dim, lucent of all lovely mysteries;

A face flowered for heart’s ease,

A brow’s grace soft as seas

Seen through faint forest-trees:

A mouth, the lips apart,

Like aspen-leaflets trembling in the breeze

From her tempestuous heart.

Such: and our souls so knit,

I leave a page half-writ —

The work begun

Will be to heaven’s conception done,

If she come to it."

She opens her eyes, the classroom is filled with applause. She smiles, her wide, toothy grin present as she soaks up all the positivity.

"Thank you!" she says with a bow, her red braids falling over her shoulders, she looks at Miss Stacey, her smile even wider, "if I may, I would like to read another poem, one I wrote myself."

"Why of course, Anne!" Miss Stacey exclaims, "I will never not encourage creativity in this class."

Anne smiles, her heart leaping with joy as she will be able to read something of her own.

She closes her eyes again, but this time to push back the memories that fill her head, rising from the catacombs.

"How can you not realize how you scar with words?

The way they cut like knives

digging into my skin.

Memories filling up my mind

Like an eternal downpour

Flooding the catacombs

The memories old,

But not unrecognized.

Everything is sharpened,

A kind of slow motion that captures every last detail.

The words spew from your mouth like venom,

Leaving cuts too deep to cover.

The memories bubble in my chest

A raging fury in my mind and soul,"

The class is silent as she opens her eyes, not even Diana claps. They stare at her, awestruck.

The few who are close to her know about her past, but as Anne returns to her seat, her footsteps echoing through the silent room, everyone's eyes are trained on her. Gilbert doesn't take his eyes off of her, making Anne shift uncomfortably. She averts her gaze to Charlie, who has his head down. It hadn't registered to Anne before that he might believe this poem was about him. It would be a bit of a stretch, conveying an utterly dark meaning, but she knows he may feel guilty nonetheless.

Miss Stacey's gaze is on Anne as well, her hand on her heart as she stares at the young girl in her chair.

"That was a beautiful poem, Anne," she says, slowly rising out of her chair, "You said you wrote that yourself?" 

"Yes, Miss Stacey. Marilla says it's therapeutic to write about the hard times in life, that it makes it easier to forgive people who've done us wrong."

"Okay, well.... I think now is a good time to start with the lessons."

Gilbert's POV

He watches her. His Anne. With her eyes closed, up in front of the class. Reading something so full of darkness and emotion that his heart wrenches. He knows about her past. The horrible family she was with before. The wretched girls at the orphanage. As she reads the poem he wants nothing more than to take her hand in his and tell her that she doesn't deserve it. 

He wants to tell her that he will always be there for her with open arms. That if she'll let him he'll shower her with love for eternity.

But he can't.

At least not yet.

Right now he has a mission, a mission that will hopefully end in her forgiving him for what happened at her party. He wants nothing more than to just be able to talk to her again. To be friends. He would even settle for the friendly classroom rivals they had been before his dad died if it meant he would be able to have conversations with her without her turning up her nose or ignoring him.

She finishes reciting the poem she wrote and opens her big blue eyes, standing in front of the silent classroom awkwardly.

Gilbert can't bring himself to clap.

The poem was beautiful, but it didn't take but a second to realize what it's about, and he can't clap for that. Though her past is what made her who she is today, he can't even begin to process what it must've been like to grow up like that. Not knowing love, or affection. Never feeling the caring touch of a parent as they tell you stories before bed, or even a simple kiss on the cheek.

Gilbert is beyond grateful that she has loving adoptive parents like Marilla and Matthew now, even though Marilla doesn't like to show it, she truly does care about Anne.

As she walks back to her seat Gilbert can't take his eyes off of her. She's always so full of happiness, a beacon of light for all to see. It saddens him that she holds those kinds of haunting memories inside of her. He studies her, the way she walks, how her mouth always twitches into a small smile when she sits next to Diana. He's convinced those girls have a kind of unbreakable bond. 

One he wishes he could have as well.

She glances up at him, her blue eyes meeting his hazel ones, but only for a second. She averts her gaze quickly, and Gilbert's heart breaks once again. No matter how hard he tries to remind himself that she will forgive him one day, it still kills him to think that he did this to her.

But it's also this brokenhearted feeling that is pushing him forward, making him willing to work for her forgiveness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this little fill in chapter. I know it's not the best and it's really short, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for another chapter for the next 2 million years while I try to come up with another good idea. If you have any ideas of what you would like to happen then comment them down below and I will definitely try my best to fulfill your wishes.
> 
> xoxoxo Julia


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Jerry's POV

The whole classroom erupts into cheers as Miss Stacey dismisses them for lunch. His first day was going well so far, despite the snickers from various children around the room whenever he was asked a question. His french accent is still heavy, but since he's learned more English words because of Anne's lessons it's significantly easier to understand him.

He pays no mind to the other students, taking pride in his accomplishments. A few years ago he never would've imagined he would have the opportunity to sit in a real school and experience lessons taught by a real teacher- not that Anne wasn't amazing-. After all, if it weren't for her neither he nor his sisters would have this opportunity. The other children in this classroom, especially the ones that are laughing at him, will never understand how thankful Jerry is to be sitting in this school with them right now.

They grew up having enough money to be able to be sent to school- he grew up having to earn an income in order to help support his family, along with the rest of his siblings. They grew up living in fancy houses with nice clothes and plenty of food to eat- he grew up wearing the same clothing for days and eating meager meals because they couldn't afford the luxury of having many different outfits and expensive foods. Not that he isn't thankful for the roof over his head, the clothes on his back, and the food on his plate at mealtime, it's just bothersome that these privileged children don't know how good they have it.

So when he walks past them over to the girls side of the room an older boy who used to be friends with Billy sticks his foot out to trip him he steps over it politely and smiles, wishing them a great lunch time before continuing to make his way out of the classroom.

"Great job Flinn! You totally got him there. Next time, why don't I show you a better place to stick your foot." Billy says, glaring at him. Flinn is silent as Billy walks by him and out of the school house with Jerry.

Anne's POV

"I'm really liking this new side of Billy," Jane says with a smile, "he seems so much more mature now," Jane says as she stands up from her seat.

"I agree," Anne replies, beginning to walk towards the door with Diana, "I don't miss when he used to call me Fido and "ugly orphan". Though I do think my least favorite is Carrots..." she trails off, taking a moment to glance at Gilbert as she passes him on her way out the door. He looks at her, his eyes swirling with emotion. He doesn't say anything to her, once they make eye contact he averts his gaze which, much to Anne's dismay, causes her heart to sink a little in her chest.

I will not be fooled by Gilbert Blythe's gentleman-like sham once again. If he truly liked me he would never have kissed my sworn enemy. He only apologized because he felt guilty for ruining my perfect evening, not because he kissed Josie Pye. 

Probably.

Anne watches in her peripheral vision as Josie plop herself in the seat next to Gilbert as he tidies his papers and books. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, steadying her racing heart as she wills the tears not to fall. She was done crying over stupid boys.

"Anne? Anne are you okay?" Delilah asks, tapping her shoulder. Anne hadn't realized she had stopped walking until she opened her eyes once again. She takes one more deep breath and turns her attention to beautiful Delilah, taking a few more steps forward and out the door.

"Of course!" she replies with a smile, "what could be more beautiful than a crisp November day. Ah the chilling breeze really awakens my senses, and the outdoors provide so much scope for the imagination. I don't mind the cold one bit when it means I get to breathe in the fresh air with so many of my amazing friends. Don't you agree?"

The small group of girls nod in agreement as they make their way towards their usually lunchtime spot in the field beside the school. A few of the boys are already there.

"What took you guys so long today?" Moody asks as he pulls a slice of bread out of his lunch sack.

"Oh- I was just caught up in a daydream while walking out." Anne replies, taking a sip of her milk.

Diana laughs, "she stopped right in the middle of the aisle, Ruby thought she was dead."

Ruby looks offended, "I did not! I just thought something was wrong is all. It looked almost like she was bewitched."

Diana laughs again, "Ruby, I think you've been listening to too many of Anne's imaginative tales."

This time it's Ruby's turn to laugh, "I say the same thing when you run through the woods after dark insistent that some ghost is chasing you."

Diana, defeated, takes a bite of her sandwich. 

Gilbert's POV

"Hi Gil!" Josie says as she plops down next to him at his desk, "Weren't today's morning lessons just so scrumptiously exciting?" 

"I'm not talking to you, Josie," Gilbert replies with as much politeness as he can muster, "now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go eat lunch with my friends." Without another word, much less a glance at the blonde girl beside him he stands up from his seat and grabs his lunch, making his way quickly out the door.

The cool fall air hits him and he pulls his wool coat closer against his body as he steps carefully down the wooden steps. As usual, Moody, Cole, Billy, and Charlie are all eating lunch with the girls, who have recently stopped making a fort and keeping all the boys out. Anne still hasn't forgiven Charlie for what he did, but she still allows him to sit with the group at lunch because at least he didn't kiss Josie Pye. Or at least, that's what Gilbert thinks. 

He walks slowly over to the group, all sitting in a circle in the brown grass. Nobody notices him approaching, and it isn't until Moody looks up that they notice his presence. 

"Hi... Gi-..." he says slowly, his mouth full of pie.

"Moody! What did we tell you about manners!" Diana scolds before seeing Gilbert. Her mouth forms a small 'o' as she stares at him, glancing nervously at the redhead sitting next to her.

Cole coughs, drawing Anne's attention over to that side of the circle where their eyes lock. A wave of emotions pass over Gilbert as she doesn't look away, her ocean colored eyes staring into his hazel ones. He can't read her expression, and he can't tell whether or not that's a good thing or a bad thing. His heart begins to thump wildly in his chest as he realizes this is the longest amount of time Anne has acknowledged him without yelling at him since he kissed Josie.

He know this isn't the same as them being friends, or even a sign that she's forgiven him, but it's progress. And progress gives Gilbert a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, he still has a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys! It's me. I'm alive. I'm finally done with finals so I have more free time now, so I will be updating more. I'm currently re-watching season 2 of AnnE so I promise I'm still a full fledged Shirbert shipper in case you all thought I was done with this story too. There's nothing I hate more than a story that's started but never finished. Since it's pretty late right now I am going to go ahead and publish this but I'm going to try to get another chapter uploaded this week so stay tuned!! Again, I'm so sorry for the long upload wait, and I'm sorry if this chapter was boring (or maybe it wasn't and y'all loved it idk) but thank you to all of my loyal readers.
> 
> Don't forget to like and leave comments. 
> 
> xoxoxoxo
> 
> Julia
> 
> Ps. What POV's would you like me to write in the next chapter?


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Anne's POV

The school bell rings loudly as class is dismissed, Miss Stacey clapping her hands together quickly to grab the student's attention before they leave for the day.

"Class!" She yells, still clapping her hands wildly. Billy whistles, causing everyone to quiet down and look to the front of the room where Miss Stacey is standing. "Thank you, Billy. Now, one more announcement before you all hurry home. I believe that we should all indulge ourselves in one more outdoor day before it becomes too cold to be travelling to places. I would like for you all to return with a signed not from your parents or guardians saying whether or not you may go, and we will decide on the destination tomorrow before school. You are dismissed, have a safe walk home everyone."

The class is bubbling with excitement as they filter out of the schoolhouse doors, chattering amicably about where they would like to go for their school trip. A million thoughts whir around in Anne's mind as she packs up her books and places them atop her slate, ready for the walk home. She would much enjoy a trip to the beach where they can learn about ocean tides, or the different creatures living in the sea. Her imagination conjures up an image of mermaids riding on dolphins, their beautiful sparkly tails splashing against the water as they sing songs of their underwater kingdoms. She imagines being turned into a mermaid herself, her long red hair flowing behind her in luscious waves and pinned with a sea star and pearls, her royal blue tail adorned with shiny and sparkling gold beads. 

Diana is beside her on a light grey dolphin, her raven hair swept into a bun adorned with a shell crown, her light blue tail shimmering like a million diamonds under the sun. 

She's caught up in her daydream as she rises up from her seat, not paying much attention to where she's walking.

"Ouch," yelps a male voice as Anne walks right into him. Anne freezes a moment, realizing who she's run into.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," she apologizes as polite as possible, "I didn't see you there." 

"It's quite alright, Anne," he replies, "I-"

"Have a nice walk home, Charlie," she nods curtly before stepping around him, not wanting the conversation to continue.

"Anne! Anne- wait!" he calls after her, taking long strides to catch up.

Anne doesn't turn around.

Just keep walking. If you ignore him long enough maybe he'll give up.

"Anne!" he calls again, his voice sounding desperate. It makes Anne almost turn around. Almost. She fights back the urge to roll her eyes as Marilla had deemed it socially unacceptable and rude behavior.

"I have to catch up to Cole, Charlie!" Anne calls back to him, not bothering to turn around, "Him and I always walk back home to green gables together!"

"Anne please! I just want to talk. It will only take a minute, I promise!"

Anne whips around, seething.

Can this boy not take a hint?!

"Sure, Charlie!" she fakes a smile, "What would you like to talk about?"

"I-"

"Oh, I know! Why don't we talk about your goals and aspirations as a man, hm? Do you still enjoy belittling women because we should be at home baking and cleaning? I would love very much to talk about what a mistake it was going on a date with a man so full of his own toxic masculinity that-"

"Anne," he interrupts, his bright brown eyes pleading with her, "I wanted to tell you I'm dreadfully sorry about what I told you on our date. It's not that I don't enjoy baking, I do. I just know it isn't a career that any of the men in my family would be proud of me being in pursuit of...." he trails off, biting his lip, his eyes downcast. He takes a deep breath, his eyes still on the ground. "The recipe wasn't even my moms.... It was mine.... I just wanted to look- I just wanted you to think-"

"Charlie," Anne says softly, "I wouldn't have thought anything less of you if you had told me the truth. The pie was so scrumptious, and knowing that it was your recipe is so splendid, Charlie! You shouldn't mind so much what other people think of you, thinking that way has done me so much good. I just know that you will be an amazing baker some day, if that's what you choose to do." 

Anne's smile is so bright as she stares up at him, "I accept your apology, Sloane, but please don't lie to me. Especially not about something as silly as that. I had quite enjoyed our date before that little fiasco. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must catch up to Cole." She hugs him quickly before turning around, only to find her kindred spirit emerging from behind a tree with a guilty smirk.

"Oh- hi, Anne!" he calls, guilt written all over his face, "I- uh- I was just looking for you."

Anne shoots him a look and he immediately cringes, knowing what he was in for on the way home. Charlie looks between the two of them and realization slowly dawns on him, "I- uh- I should probably get going. Thank you so much for understanding, Anne, and I truly hope that you can find it in your heart to be friends with me again- or maybe more..." he says even quieter, Anne barely registering that part of the sentence over the light rustle of leaves as a crisp breeze blows through the woods.

Anne doesn't respond to Charlie, and instead shoots one more look at Cole before continuing her walk through the woods, hoping Cole could ignore the slight color in her cheeks at Charlie's words. Something about him reminds Anne a little of Gilbert, or at least how Gilbert used to be before he kissed Josie Pye. Sometimes Anne allows herself to wonder if he truly meant to kiss her, or if it was just one of Josie's cruel tricks to make Anne feel like scum. Either way, she couldn't help but be mad at him, even if it's only because he hasn't really acknowledged her since the dreaded night. 

"So, Anne..." Cole begins with a smirk, "you forgave Charlie, I take it?"

"Why do you care, Mackenzie?" Anne retorts.

"Well, you see... If you've forgiven Charlie then it would only be right to forgive Gilb-"

"There's only one slight problem with that thought, my dear Cole."

"And what's that, my beautiful princess Cordelia?"

"Charlie apologized and gave a realistic explanation for his wrongdoing."

"But Gilbert apologized too. You have to have noticed by now that none of this was Gilbert's fault. He looks at Josie with so much anger that I'm surprised his ears haven't overflowed with steam yet! And-" he smirks a little as he stops walking, "he steals glances at you when you're so enveloped in Miss Stacey's lessons that you don't notice. I see him do it all the time, and every time he does he looks at you like you're his lifeline. I can tell that your forgiveness would mean the world to him."

Anne huffs, whipping around to face him. "If he wants my forgiveness so bad then tell him he can ask for it himself. I feel as though I'm due a realistic explanation soon anyways. Why, if I have to look into his sad but annoyingly endearing puppy dog eyes one more time I think I might-"

"Done." Cole says with a laugh.

"I beg your pardon?" Anne asks with annoyance.

"I said 'done'. If you want Gilbert to ask for forgiveness himself then I'll stop right by the Blythe residence right now and tell him to come out to Green Gables and say it."

"No! Cole that's not what I meant! Cole!" Anne yells, but it's too late. Cole has already begun running through the woods in the direction of Gilbert's farm.

Anne takes a deep breath and lets out a long sigh, continuing her walk home. Alone.

Cole's POV

Cole has never ran so fast in his life. His excitement gives him a sudden wave of energy and his long legs carry him fast through the woods, and in no time he's running through Gilbert Blythe's barren orchard, the breeze blowing through his hair. He runs up the steps and raps on the door, trying to catch his breath as he waits for an answer. 

To his delight Gilbert is quick to open the door, his face betraying shock and some level of concern.

"Cole is everything okay? Where's Anne? Does she need help? What happened? Why are you out of breath? Are you okay? I-"

"Calm down Gilbert," Cole says with a laugh, he takes a deep breath and bows, as if he was an important messenger getting ready to deliver the news of the century, which to him, it seemed like it is. "I have brought you joyous news from a faraway land called Enchantia, where the beautiful Princess Cordelia has requested an apology from her beloved prince. I am here to escort you to the maidens palace where she is waiting for you." 

Gilbert just stares, his brow furrowed as he tries to process this information.

"Anne is ready for you to apologize, Gilbert. She said she wants to hear a realistic explanation of why you kissed Josie Pye at her party. I'm supposed to walk with you to Green Gables."

Gilbert's face brightens significantly as he makes eye contact with Cole, and Cole realizes that his excitement in this moment is nothing compared to Gilbert's. The love of his life is sitting in her house waiting for him.

Well.... He won't tell Gilbert that Anne wasn't exactly fond of Gilbert coming over today to apologize, and that she only found out about this whole plan few minutes prior to Cole showed up on his porch... but what he doesn't know can't hurt him.

Cole has made it his utmost responsibility to make sure nothing comes between them ever again. Nothing can thwart their destiny. 

Gilbert's POV

Anne is ready to talk to me. She actually wants to talk to me. She told Cole to come and get me. I can't believe it.

"Come on!" he yells to Cole as he bounds down the porch steps, "no need to keep dear Anne waiting!" 

"Gilbert! You best slow down before you become a sweaty mess before we reach Green Gables!" Cole calls back with a laugh.

Gilbert stops running and decides Cole's right, he shouldn't run all the way to Green Gables.

"You're right," Gilbert says, turning around to wait for Cole, who's barely halfway through the orchard, "I fear if I run the whole way there I'll be such a sweaty mess that Anne won't talk to me."

Gilbert's heart swells with love as he remembers that in only a few minutes- a half hour tops- he will get to converse with his beloved Anne for the first time in what feels like eternity.

His never-ending torment of having kissed Josie Pye will still linger, but Anne's love may dull the ache in his chest. He has now convinced himself that it isn't your first kiss that counts, but your last one, and if Gilbert had one wish he would make it that his dying breath would be spent with his lips pressed against Anne's beautiful rosebud pink ones, for that one simple act of love will have made all the stares...all the longing...all the sleepless nights...everything...

Worth it.

Kissing Josie Pye had been tormenting his soul since the second her lips touched his. His heart shatters again just thinking about the look on Anne's face. He couldn't have felt any more unworthy of Anne's love than he did in that moment. He still doesn't feel worthy. But he hopes for even just a fraction of forgiveness from her, just a meager smile, maybe a reassurance that they can still be friends.

It's taken every ounce of self control for him not to pour his heart out to her. The only thing keeping him grounded has been the constant reminder that she just needs space. Eventually she'll cool off-- and he's so glad that he didn't have to wait anymore. He's so overjoyed that she finally has requested his presence at Green Gables, and he is equipped with the most sincere and thought out apology in human history, and he is ever so ready to recite it to his one true love.

He thinks back to the dream of him and Anne, one he has daydreamed about for oh so long.

The dream where, after he kissed Josie Pye at the party, he thought to have been a cruel joke played by Father Time. Showing him something never to be.

Thinking of the dream gives him a rush of excitement and adrenaline. He still may have a chance at that bright future with her, and the two precious children that bore resemblance to the gorgeous girl he was on his way to see, and the beautiful house overlooking the White Way of Delight. It's everything he's ever wanted, and he's never wanted it more than he does now.

At first he thought it was just a simple crush on a simple girl, nothing more than something that would fade away after a while. It's clear to him now that this isn't just a simple crush, his heart yearns for her. Not talking to her has made him feel physically ill, as if he could die from heartbreak.

But he also feels selfish for feeling heartbroken, as he can't even fathom how Anne must have felt.

'She spent so much time in that washroom with Diana and Ruby before Charlie got her to come out. I'm quite sure she spent most of that time crying. Oh how humiliating it must've been for her.'

His mind replays the night over and over, and every time Anne's face appears in his memory it makes him ever more determined to get her forgiveness. Though he feels unworthy of her attention and even more unworthy of her heart, he knows that every day he spends without her is a day not worth living.

As much as his father loved his mother, he could see the longing for Marilla in his eyes every time they talked of Avonlea.

Gilbert is determined not to end up like his father. He will build a relationship with Anne, even if he has to start all over again. He would do anything to see her smile again, and to know he was the reason for it.

His daydreaming had passed enough time that before he knows it they've reached the gate to Green Gables. Gilbert smiles, taking in a deep breath before reaching for the white wood, the hinges creaking as he pulls it open, ushering Cole in first, before closing it. 

He fixes his wild curls as he walks through the field, trying to make himself look as presentable as possible. Nothing was too good for Anne, and he wanted to look his very best when he delivered his apology. He has a whole speech planned out, having spent eternity perfecting it with Mary and Bash, just waiting for the right time to be able to use it. And now was his chance. But he has a feeling he will only get one, so he wants to make sure he has everything he wants to say memorized.

He rehearses it as he walks through the field, tugging at his shirt and fixing his coat and hat as he does so. He hears Cole stifle a laugh but he ignores him, everyone knows he's gone over Anne anyways, it's just a shame that Anne is the only one who can't see just how much he cares for her.

To think, she thought he would pick Josie Pye over her. Josie Pye doesn't come close in comparison. Gilbert is so sure that Josie only picks on Anne because Anne is everything that Josie isn't and that must make her so jealous. Gilbert doesn't like to think of himself as more good looking than his fellow peers, but he doesn't think low of himself either. He knows that a snotty, conceited, and shallow girl like Josie deserves someone just as shallow and conceited as herself. 

Anne may be beautiful, but it's her heart of gold and smarts that got Gilbert hooked. He had never known a girl more passionate about learning than he was until he met her, and meeting her was more refreshing than water on a hot summer day.

He knocks quietly on the door and Cole laughs, not bothering for an answer.

"Marilla!" he yells as he walks right into the house.

"Cole!" he whisper shouts, "You can't just walk in! I-"

"Calm down Gilbert," he replies with a laugh, "I live here now, remember?"

A twinge of jealousy wraps itself around Gilbert as he remembers that Cole does in fact get to live with Anne. 

'Cole gets to walk home with her every day after school. Cole gets to see her on weekends. Cole gets to eat supper with her every night and laugh with her and-'

Gilbert is snapped out of his thoughts as he hears someone running up the stairs.

"I'll get Anne, stay right there!" he calls down to Gilbert.

Panic sets in slowly as he realizes that it's happening. It's finally time to apologize to Anne. His hands clam up as he puts them behind his back, trying desperately to remember the apology speech he spent so long putting together. His biggest fear is saying the wrong thing and Anne hating him forever. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did anything else to make her cross with him.

In all too short of time he hears Cole once again bounding down the stairs, with no care for decorum. He hears Anne huff and looks up to see Cole practically dragging her down the stairs. She doesn't look at all happy to see Gilbert, and his heart sinks in his chest. 

'What if this was just a plot for me to embarrass myself? What if Anne truly doesn't want to hear my apology?'

"Anne, you remember Marilla telling you holding grudges isn't good. At least hear him out," Cole says calmly to the redhead. 

She looks up at him and takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment. Gilbert wrings his hands behind his back as he waits for her to say something, anything, to him. 

After what feels like an eternity she finally opens her eyes and looks at him.

"Alright Blythe, I'm ready to hear your apology." she says halfheartedly, her ocean eyes locking with his hazel ones.

Gilbert forgets how to speak, his tongue feels swollen in his mouth, his eyes stay locked with hers and he can't breathe.

"I- uh- I-um," he stutters, trying so hard not to say anything stupid as he tries to remember his speech.

He clears his throat and takes a deep breath.

"I- um- I-"

"Today, Blythe," Anne interrupts with impatience.

"I-I love you." He sputters out quickly.

Suddenly the world freezes and what he said dawns on him. Gilbert notices Cole smirking beside Anne.

"I- I- I meant to say-"

"That was a fantastic apology, Blythe. Do you use that on all the girls?" Anne asks flatly.

"No- I- I-"

"Anne." Cole turns to her, "I'm disappointed in you. I had to practically drag you out of your room so you would even try to hear him out. Just please let him say what he came here to say."

Anne looks at him and rolls her eyes, "fine." she replies, "but so far I'm not impressed."

Cole sighs, looking at Gilbert with a little sympathy, "I'll leave you two alone."

"But Cole I-"

"I'll be upstairs if you need me," Cole states, showing that this isn't up for discussion.

"So, I- um-"

"Gilbert. I hope you realize that it will take a lot of convincing for me to believe any apology you give me. You had every opportunity to not kiss her yet you did nothing," Anne sniffles and Gilbert feels his heart shatter in his chest as the tears well up in her eyes. "I thought maybe you and I were finally getting along. I thought you cared. But now, I'm not sure how to feel because of what you did. I-"

"Anne. I just told you how I feel. I-"

"You could be lying," She replies, her voice flat once again, "I'm not the kind of person that people love." 

"I promise what I told you is-"

"That doesn't mean-"

"Anne! Will you let me finish one sentence please!" Gilbert pleads, catching Anne off guard. She meets his eyes before averting her gaze to the floor.  
"Okay," she responds quietly, her voice barely audible.

He takes a deep breath and gathers his thoughts.

"I sincerely apologize for kissing Josie Pye. I didn't mean to kiss her, and I promise you that if I could go back to that night I would never have left the ballroom to "speak" with her. I never meant to upset you, or ruin your birthday party. The moment I knew what happened I felt so sick to my stomach, and then seeing you made it hurt so much worse. I know that what I'm feeling can't even compare to how you feel, or how you felt that night, but I want you to know that I'm hurting too. I know that you have no reason to believe any of this, but this is the truth and I hope that even if you don't believe it that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Because I truly do have feelings for you, Anne Shirley- Cuthbert."

It wasn't exactly the speech he spent all that time preparing and rehearsing, but he hopes he got the same message across. After a few moments he hesitantly looks up at Anne, who's just staring at him. For a moment, he debates whether or not he should continue, as maybe she doesn't believe him. But soon the silence is broken and Anne manages a small smile.

"I forgive you, Gilbert. I hope we can be friends again."

Gilbert tries to feel happy. He truly does. But the word 'friends' replays over and over in his head, his heart sinking down into his stomach. 

He knows he said he would settle for being friends, but he was so sure that they had a connection.... and now he's so sure that he severed whatever connection he had.

'Great job, Gilbert! You're back to square one with the girl you love. Just one more thing you've ruined in your life.'

He wills away the tears that begin to well up in his eyes as he meets Anne's happy gaze, forcing his lips to tug upwards into a smile.

"Friends." He repeats, struggling to keep the smile plastered onto his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loyal readers :) I really hope y'all enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Don't forget to comment and give kudos
> 
> xoxoxo
> 
> Jewels


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